China's largest weapons manufacturer appoints new chairman

China North Industries Group Corp, the country's biggest developer of land armaments, has a new chairman, according to the State-owned defense conglomerate.

On Tuesday afternoon, the company posted on its website that the new chairman is Zhou Zhiping, 54, a native of Jiangxi province. He was general manager of China South Industries Group Corp, the second-largest land weapons maker in China, before the latest appointment.

After graduating from Beijing Institute of Technology in 1992, Zhou joined China South Industries, where he started out as a corporate development planner, eventually moving up the ranks to become a defense contractor.

In November 2018, Zhou was named a board director as well as president of Chang'an Automobile, a major subsidiary and one of China's leading car makers.

Three years later, he was transferred to China FAW Group, another State-owned automobile giant, where he was appointed as its deputy general manager.

In March 2024, Zhou was named general manager of Dongfeng Motor Corp, also a car-making conglomerate and stayed there until February this year, when he returned to China South Industries to become its general manager.

His predecessor at China North Industries, Cheng Fubo, was named chairman of Aviation Industry Corp of China, the country's leading aircraft maker, on Friday.