THREAD on the PLA ties of Xiang Xin, defector Wang Liqiang's former boss and alleged intelligence officer. Open-source research reveals a web of links to COSTIND, a defence technology agency implicated in political interference and espionage. aspistrategist.org.au/analysing-wang… 1/
Much commentary has focused on casting doubt on Wang's claims without carrying out research to test them. What we can find is that Xiang Xin has no fewer than 9 business partners or colleagues who worked in COSTIND. 2/
Xiang's wife, Gong Qing, worked in COSTIND's intelligence research institute. Chairman of Xiang's China Innovation Investment Limited from 2005-09 ran a COSTIND university and was a COSTIND arms company exec. 3/
Chairman of China Innovation from 2003-05 was also a senior executive at two COSTIND arms conglomerates before joining the company. Xiang succeeded these two as chairman of China Innovation. 4/
An executive director of China Innovation from 2003-5 alongside Xiang worked for a state-owned missile manufacturer. While in HK, he was deputy CEO of three COSTIND companies. He now heads the Long March 11 rocket program. 5/ njust.edu.cn/1a/7f/c3624a20… 
Guo Yijun served alongside Xiang as a director in one company. He is gen manager of a company majority owned by a company Xiang set up. He was also gen manager of a company funded by COSTIND's New Era Group company + worked in COSTIND previously. 6/
Pang Weizhong was director in a company 30% owned by China Innovation and listed his address as a Beijing office belonging to Xiang's companies. He also worked for two of COSTIND's New Era Group companies in Shenzhen. archive.md/2YF1S 7/
As CEO of China Innovation Xiang set up a defence technologies investment fund with CITIC in 2008. It had a remarkable steering committee headed by LTGEN Nie Li, former deputy director of COSTIND. The two other committee members were ex COSTIND MAJGENs www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listc… 8/
According to Wang Liqiang, Nie Li and her husband Ding Henggao (then director of COSTIND) sent Xiang Xin to Hong Kong in 1993. Nie is the daughter of Nie Rongzhen, one of the PLA's ten marshals from the revolutionary era. 9/
Xiang's companies don't just work with former COSTIND leaders and senior officials. Their logos and names appear to draw inspiration from COSTIND's main front company New Era Group (Xiang company above, COSTIND company below) 10/
New Times Global Capital Inc, possibly Xiang's first company, is a mystery. The Panama papers show it's registered in the British Virgin Islands—a 'secrecy jurisdiction' that facilitates tax evasion but could also hide the source of funds 11/ offshoreleaks.icij.org/nodes/12175379
Today, much of Xiang's company ownership is through China Technology Education Association, a registered charity he heads. The association states on its website that most of its more than HKD800m in funding comes from New Times Global Capital Inc 12/
There are many more threads from Xiang's life, companies and networks that should continue to be investigated. This is a unique chance for scholars to understand how an alleged PLA intelligence network operates. I hope others will take the opportunity. 13/
COSTIND's involvement in business activity is well known. It also has links to the PLA's illegal donations to the 1996 Clinton campaign through Liu Chaoying, has broken sanctions by exporting missiles to Iran, and has been accused of stealing US military technology. 14/
To sum up: Xiang Xin's companies have unclear origins but their names and logos resemble a COSTIND front's. 9 of Xiang's colleagues worked for COSTIND, including Shenzhen and HK front companies. COSTIND has been involved in espionage and political interference. 15/
