How an amputee Chinese scientist is fortifying the country’s military software

Much of the global debate on Chinese military power focuses on hardware but a vital part of the modernisation process is in the niche field of software verification.Wang Ji, a computer science researcher at the National University of Defence Technology (NUDT), is mentoring a new generation of scientists to treat the software code in national defence systems with the same precision as doctors diagnosing patients.After losing both legs to a life-threatening emergency, Wang, 56, has stayed at the forefront of China’s military modernisation, leading efforts to secure the complex software underpinning the country’s most strategic defence assets.For his efforts, Wang was last week awarded the title of “role model of the times” by the Communist Party’s publicity department, adding to his recognition last year as a self-improvement role model with disabilities.Wang specialises in technology that relies on mathematical logic to verify the correctness of code at the fundamental compiler level. Photo: CCTVIn a profile aired last week, state broadcaster CCTV described Wang as someone on the “vanguard of research” who never stops charging forward.