He Yaqiong Appointed NUAA Party Secretary

Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA) has a new Party Secretary. He Yaqiong, formerly the Director of the Consumer Goods Industry Department at China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), has been appointed to the top leadership position at the prestigious aerospace university, according to an official announcement from the university on June 18, 2026.

The appointment was decided by the Party Leadership Group of MIIT and announced at a cadres and faculty meeting attended by Fu Jianqi, Director of MIIT’s Personnel and Education Department, and Luo Yufei, a member of the Organization Department Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee. He Yaqiong replaces Zhen Liang, who was relieved of the position.

A Career Spanning Academia, Government, and Industry

He Yaqiong, born in August 1968 in Xiangyang, Hubei Province, brings a diverse background to his new role. His career began in academia at Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT), where he spent 15 years in various capacities, including counselor, personnel department staff, and deputy general manager of HIT-affiliated technology companies.

He holds a B.S. in Information Processing Display and Recognition from HIT (1991), an M.S. in Management Information Systems (1997), and a Ph.D. in Management Science and Engineering (2000), followed by postdoctoral research at Tsinghua University’s School of Public Policy and Management from 2003 to 2005, as detailed in his Baidu Baike biography.

In 2006, He transitioned to central government service, holding increasingly senior roles within MIIT and its predecessor ministries. He served as Director of the Economic Operations Division and later Deputy Director of the Operation Monitoring and Coordination Bureau. From 2018 to 2021, he was seconded to Liaoyang City in Liaoning Province, serving as a member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and Vice Mayor. He returned to MIIT in July 2021 to lead the Consumer Goods Industry Department, a position he held until this latest appointment.

NUAA: A Premier Aerospace Institution

NUAA, founded in October 1952, is one of the first aeronautical institutions established by the People’s Republic of China. It is a national key university under the administration of MIIT and has been selected for the prestigious “Double First-Class” initiative, with three disciplines — Aerospace Science and Technology, Mechanics, and Control Science and Engineering — designated for first-class construction. The university is also co-built by MIIT, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the Ministry of Education, and Jiangsu Province, as The Paper reported.

Standard Personnel Rotation

This appointment reflects the routine practice of personnel rotation between China’s central government ministries and their affiliated universities. MIIT directly administers seven key universities, including Beihang University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, and Northwestern Polytechnical University. Transfers between ministry departments and these institutions are a common mechanism for cadre development.

He Yaqiong’s academic roots at HIT — a fellow MIIT-administered institution — and his extensive government experience in industrial policy align well with NUAA’s focus on aerospace and engineering research. His background in consumer goods industry regulation also brings a perspective on applied research and industry collaboration.

Implications for NUAA

The appointment of a leader with strong government-industry connections comes at a significant time for NUAA, which is actively pursuing its “Double First-Class” construction goals. He Yaqiong’s experience bridging policy-making and industrial development may signal an emphasis on strengthening ties between the university’s research programs and national industrial priorities.

Zhen Liang, the predecessor who was born in January 1966, served as Party Secretary before this change. The specific reasons for his removal were not disclosed in the official announcement.

What to Watch

Observers will be watching for any strategic shifts in NUAA’s development direction under new leadership, particularly in how the university positions itself within China’s broader aerospace and defense research ecosystem. The transition also highlights the continued pattern of personnel mobility between China’s ministerial bureaucracy and its system of key national universities — a structure that reinforces alignment between higher education and national strategic priorities.