A prominent Chinese military cybersecurity scientist has been quietly removed from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ official membership listings, adding to a growing number of unexplained removals involving senior researchers connected to China’s military and defense industries.
Guo Shize, 57, a cybersecurity specialist with extensive ties to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), was elected to the prestigious academy in 2023. His disappearance from its website has raised questions about whether he has become the latest figure caught up in Beijing’s continuing campaign to investigate corruption and misconduct within its military establishment.
According to a Nov. 11 report by the South China Morning Post, neither the Chinese Academy of Sciences nor China’s Ministry of National Defense has explained the removal.
There has been no official confirmation that Guo has been detained, placed under investigation, or stripped of his academic title.
For the best of our weekly content！
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Check your email to complete sign up
Guo Shize disappears from official records
Guo’s name was reportedly missing from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ membership directory by Nov. 5, according to Chinese academic commentators who first noticed the change.
Singapore’s Lianhe Zaobao reported that Guo’s biography remained accessible through the academy’s English-language website as recently as Nov. 9. However, by the morning of Nov. 11, that page had also disappeared.
The academy has not announced whether his removal represents a formal revocation of membership.
Born in Shandong province in 1969, Guo entered the PLA’s Ordnance Engineering College at just 15 years old. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees before completing a doctorate at the Harbin Institute of Technology in 1994.
The university is among China’s so-called Seven Sons of National Defense, a group of institutions closely associated with the country’s military research and development programs.
Guo subsequently held several senior positions within China’s military research establishment, including leadership roles in the former PLA General Staff Department and Strategic Support Force.
His research concentrated on network and system security, areas considered strategically important to China’s military modernization and cyberdefence capabilities.
According to his former Chinese Academy of Sciences biography, Guo was a “cyberspace security expert” specializing in network and system security.
He received one first-class and three second-class National Science and Technology Progress Awards, among China’s major scientific honors.
Guo was still publicly active in September, when he attended the China Cyberspace Security Conference in Hefei.
In an official account published by Shandong University on Oct. 1, Guo emphasized that developing leading cybersecurity institutions must translate into stronger national security capabilities.
He called for original research capable of addressing major technological challenges and for training personnel who could “shoulder important responsibilities at critical moments.”
Interestingly, the conference’s official organizing committee website continued to identify Guo as a Chinese Academy of Sciences academician as of Nov. 12, despite his removal from the academy’s own directory.
Disappearance follows growing list of military-linked scientists removed from academy
Guo’s unexplained removal comes amid a broader series of personnel changes affecting senior figures in China’s defense research and military-industrial establishments.
According to a Nov. 11 report by Taiwan’s Central News Agency, citing Hong Kong’s Ming Pao, approximately 11 members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering have disappeared from official membership listings over the past year.
Many held prominent positions in military research, aerospace engineering, or state-owned defence enterprises.
Among those reportedly removed were Liu Guozhi, a former director of the Central Military Commission’s Science and Technology Commission, and Yang Wei, the chief designer of China’s J-20 stealth fighter.
Other names included Wu Manqing, a radar technology specialist and former general manager of China Electronics Technology Group, and Zhao Xiangeng, a former vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
The removal of an academician’s name does not necessarily establish wrongdoing. However, several recent cases have involved officials who were subsequently subjected to formal disciplinary measures.
One confirmed example involves Zhang Yaoxue, a former president of Central South University. Following his expulsion from the Chinese Communist Party and dismissal from public office over disciplinary violations, the Chinese Academy of Engineering formally revoked his academician title in May 2026.
The broader developments coincide with Beijing’s continuing anti-corruption campaign, which has reached senior military officers, defense contractors, and research institutions.
China’s academicians occupy some of the country’s most prestigious scientific positions, frequently combining research responsibilities with influential roles in universities, government institutions, and state-owned enterprises.
The repeated removal of military-connected scientists from official directories raises questions about the extent to which investigations and personnel changes are affecting China’s defense research establishment.
Guo’s background makes his case particularly noteworthy because of the increasing importance of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and information warfare to China’s military strategy.
His previous association with the PLA’s Strategic Support Force also places him within an organization that formerly oversaw important elements of China’s military space, cyber, and electronic warfare capabilities.
Nevertheless, authorities have disclosed no evidence connecting Guo to corruption, espionage, or other misconduct.
Original article
Comments