Multiple sources revealed this week that 62-year-old Chinese Academy of Sciences academician and geographer Zhou Chenghu was recently taken away for investigation by the Discipline Inspection and Supervision authorities of Chenzhou City, Hunan Province. It is understood that Zhou Chenghu's connections to over 20 companies is one of the reasons behind this case.
Membership in the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering represents the highest academic honor in China. Several insiders confirmed the above information to Economic Observer between Monday and Friday last week (May 18 to 22).
Two of these sources pointed out that Zhou Chenghu was taken away by disciplinary inspection staff from the lobby of the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in late April.
Zhou Chenghu is a native of Nantong, Jiangsu, and graduated from the Department of Geography at Nanjing University. He holds a doctorate from the Geography Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and became an academician at the age of 49, being called a "prodigy" by media under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Zhou Chenghu’s main research fields include spatial data mining, geographic system modeling, hydrology and water resources, as well as GIS and remote sensing applications. A peer from his field commented: “Compared to the relatively ‘poor’ discipline of geography, Zhou Chenghu’s research area tends to have ample funding and greater economic interests.”
Two of Zhou Chenghu’s colleagues indicated that his relationships with numerous connected companies is one of the reasons for this case.
Since the 1990s, China has encouraged researchers to start businesses. Company registration records show Zhou Chenghu is clearly associated with over 20 enterprises; he has served, or is serving, as a shareholder in at least 17 companies and as an executive in 19 companies.
These companies primarily operate in fields such as satellite remote sensing and geographic information. Notable larger and more important firms include Suzhou Zhongke Tianqi Remote Sensing Technology Co., Ltd. and Guangzhou Zhongke Yuntu Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., in both of which Zhou Chenghu is the major shareholder and actual controller.
Recently, a number of academicians from the two major academies in China have been investigated. Zhang Yaoxue, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and former president of Central South University, was investigated in October last year and was recently expelled from the Communist Party and referred for prosecution. Official notices state he illegally accepted huge amounts of property, and in cadre selection, conferring academic titles, and awarding honors, he sought benefits for others and accepted compensation, fueling malpractice and corruption in academia.