Liu Ruopeng

Liu Ruopeng
Born (1983-09-24) September 24, 1983 (age 41)[1]
NationalityChinese
Alma materZhejiang University
Duke University
Political partyChinese Communist Party

Liu Ruopeng (Chinese: 刘若鹏; is a Chinese entrepreneur who founded the conglomerate Kuang-Chi.[2] He is also a member of the Chinese Communist Party and a National People's Congress deputy.[3]

Early life

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Liu has a bachelor's degree in engineering from Zhejiang University.[4] He has a master's degree and a doctorate from Duke University.[5][4]

Career

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While a PhD student at Duke University,[5][4] Liu allegedly stole intellectual property from a United States Department of Defense-funded laboratory[6][7][8] and passed it to Chinese researchers, which eventually resulted in his expulsion from the David R. Smith research group at the university.[8] Liu was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), but ultimately was not charged with a crime. The incident is the subject of a book by ProPublica senior editor Daniel Golden, Spy Schools: How the CIA, FBI, and Foreign Intelligence Secretly Exploit America's Universities.[9]

In 2015, Liu bought a controlling stake in the loss making New Zealand company Martin Aircraft Company, makers of the yet to be commercially viable Martin Jetpack.[2][10]

He is the president of the Shenzhen-based Kuang-Chi Institute of Advanced Technology and the chairman of Hong Kong-listed KuangChi Science.[2]

Personal life

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Liu Ruopeng lives in Shenzhen, China.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Shenzhen Oral History - Liu Ruopeng: Continuous Innovation Helps China Become a Global Leader in Metamaterials". Shenzhen Evening News. Archived from the original on 17 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "'Elon Musk of China' aims to give the world a commercial jetpack - but is it just flight of fancy?". South China Morning Post. 7 April 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  3. ^ "List of Members of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National Committee of China Association for Science and Technology - Liu Ruopeng". China Association for Science and Technology. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Ruopeng Liu (26 August 2014). "Ruopeng Liu: Executive Profile & Biography". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  5. ^ a b c "Liu Ruopeng". Forbes.com. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  6. ^ "White House Considers Restricting Chinese Researchers Over Espionage Fears". The New York Times. 30 April 2018. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  7. ^ "How one graduate student allegedly stole Duke research to create a billion-dollar Chinese company". The Chronicle. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  8. ^ a b "How Spy Agencies Use American Universities to Secretly Recruit Students". Town & Country. 13 October 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  9. ^ Golden, Daniel (10 October 2017). Spy Schools: How the CIA, FBI, and Foreign Intelligence Secretly Exploit America's Universities. Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 978-1-62779-636-1.
  10. ^ "Liu Ruopeng - Jetpack backer ready for liftoff - Business - NZ Herald News". Nzherald.co.nz. 28 May 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2017.