One of the top Chinese shipbuilding executives, who has not been seen publicly for nearly two weeks, has been accused of disclosing secret information about Chinese aircraft carriers to the US. Sun Bo, 57, is general manager of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), China's largest state-owned marine manufacturer, which manages nearly all of the major shipbuilding projects in the Chinese navy. Most notably, Sun was in charge of retrofitting the Liaoning, a Soviet aircraft carrier that was commissioned to the Chinese Navy's Surface Force after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The ship arrived at CSIC Dalian shipyard in northeastern China in 2002. Work on the ship was completed in 2012. Today CSIC is directing the construction of the so-called Type 001A, the first aircraft carrier built in China, which is said to have been modeled in much of it on Liaoning. The company is also leading the construction of numerous Chinese Navy frigates, state-of-the-art destroyers and numerous other ships. Earlier this year, it was announced that CSIC would build the Chinese Navy's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
As the second-senior officer of China's largest and most important shipbuilder, Sun has overseen all of the company's projects for the past two decades. But Sun actually disappeared after June 11, when he made his last public appearance at a CSIC event. On June 17, a brief notice posted on the company's website stated that Sun had been placed under investigation for "gross violation of [the Communist Party of China's] laws and discipline." The short notice said that the prosecution of Sun's activities was led by the Chinese National Supervision Commission and the Chinese Communist Party of the Central Commissariat for Disciplinary Inspection, but did not provide further details.
It has been reported by several Chinese news websites that Sun is under investigation not only for the peculation, but for much more serious activities involving espionage. Specifically, it is alleged that Sun was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States because of its oversight role in Chinese aircraft carrier construction programs. It is believed to have provided the CIA with information on the ten-year Liaoning re-equipment, as well as other 001A Type technical specifications, which is currently under construction in a top-secret facility.
The Hong Kong news site, Asia Times, said Thursday that given the sensitive nature of the allegations against Sun, the Chinese government is unlikely to disclose the outcome of the CSIC executive's investigation.