China Aviation Chief Gets Suspended Death Sentence for $89M Bribery & Insider Trading

Tan Ruisong, the former chairman of China’s Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), has been sentenced to a suspended death sentence for accepting bribes and engaging in insider trading totaling over 613 million yuan (approximately US$89 million). The verdict was delivered Tuesday by the Dalian Intermediate People’s Court, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Tan, 64, held the position of chairman and Communist Party secretary of AVIC, China’s leading military aircraft manufacturer, from May 2018 until his retirement in March 2023. His downfall is a prominent case within President Xi Jinping’s ongoing anti-corruption campaign targeting the military-industrial complex.

The court found Tan guilty of multiple offenses committed between 1998 and 2024, including taking bribes, embezzlement, insider trading, and leaking confidential information. He pleaded guilty to all charges. According to CCTV’s report, Tan illicitly obtained approximately 90 million yuan in public funds between 2003 and 2010 even as serving as AVIC’s assistant general manager.

The investigation revealed that Tan leveraged his positions within AVIC and its Harbin subsidiary to facilitate corporate mergers, acquisitions, and the awarding of project contracts in exchange for bribes. All of Tan’s personal property has been confiscated as part of the sentence, which includes a two-year reprieve. A suspended death sentence typically means a life sentence if the individual does not commit further crimes during the period of suspension.

Tan Ruisong’s career began in 1983 at Harbin Dong’an Automotive Engine Manufacturing Company, where he steadily rose through the ranks, becoming deputy chief engineer in 1994, deputy general manager in 1995, and general manager in 1998. He later served as chairman and party secretary of Harbin Aviation Industry (Group) Co., Ltd. In 2004, and deputy general manager of AVIC II in the same year.

Prior to his legal troubles, Tan was a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. He was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party in 2025, a standard procedure following conviction in corruption cases.

AVIC has not yet issued a public statement regarding the sentencing. It remains unclear who will succeed Tan in overseeing the corporation’s operations and strategic direction.