Former Top Chinese General, Xi Ally Dies in Beijing

Xu Qiliang’s death came as the communist regime’s military saw a series of high-profile purges.
Former Top Chinese General, Xi Ally Dies in Beijing
China's Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xu Qiliang attends the opening session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 5, 2019. Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images
Eva Fu
Eva Fu
Reporter
|Updated:
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Xu Qiliang, a former Chinese air force general who once commanded China’s army, has died in Beijing at age 75, according to Chinese state media.

Xu was the deputy chairman of the Central Military Commission between 2012 and 2022, overseeing the Chinese military force known as the People’s Liberation Army.

Chinese regime leader Xi Jinping in 2012 had just become the top Party leader. Over the next few years, Xi initiated political and military reshuffling and purged officials in an anti-corruption campaign. Xu was the vice leader for the group charged with reforming the military, which Xi created in 2014 and led.

A statement released through Chinese state news agency Xinhua extolled Xu as a “time-tested and loyal communist soldier” and “outstanding leader” of the Chinese army.

His death came amid a period of deep instability in the communist regime’s military. China has seen a series of military purges in recent years, with Xi initially using them to target top officials perceived as a threat to his power.

The recent campaigns have increasingly targeted his longtime allies, a sign that some analysts said raises questions about the stability of Xi’s political control.
Xu’s death came shortly after the takedown of another Xi ally, Miao Hua, who for years led the Political Work Department, a key role in shaping the careers of senior military officers. Information about Miao, who was placed under investigation in November 2024, has been removed from the Central Military Commission’s website, where he had been listed as a member.
He Weidong, the second-ranked vice chairman of the commission, has disappeared from the public eye since mid-March. Several commentators with political sources in China told The Epoch Times he was taken for questioning.

Xu, He, and Miao all had served in Fujian Province in southeastern China, where Xi worked for nearly two decades until 2002.

In another sign of the erosion of Xi’s power, Chinese state media have recently featured political slogans from Xi’s predecessor, Hu Jintao, while mentions of Xi’s leadership have noticeably become less frequent.

Born in 1950, Xu joined the military at 16 and became chief of staff of the Air Force’s Shanghai headquarters in his mid-30s. His connection with Xi goes back to the early 1990s when Xu was a corps commander for the Chinese Air Force in Fujian’s capital, Fuzhou, while Xi was a city-level official. The two had stood side by side for a photo, along with a few other Chinese military officials.

After Xi secured power, Xu quickly ascended into the Politburo Standing Committee, China’s second-highest decision-making body.

Xu proved instrumental in helping Xi solidify power.

In July 2014, Xu hosted the third meeting among the Central Military Commission’s top officials who oversaw military performance, and instructed them to expand their investigation efforts and set stricter discipline so as to “live up to the great trust of Chairman Xi.”

In the three years that followed, the Central Military Commission purged a number of high ranking military officials under Xu’s watch.

The military reform also led to the addition of several new military branches, such as the rocket force and the strategic support force, both of which have been hit by the recent political turbulence.
Three commanders for the rocket force—Li Yuchao, Zhou Yaning, and Wei Fenghe—all fell from grace in 2023. In April 2024, the strategic support force dissolved into three separate units: the aerospace force, cyberspace force, and the information support force.
Eva Fu
Eva Fu
Reporter
Eva Fu is an award-winning, New York-based journalist for The Epoch Times focusing on U.S. politics, U.S.-China relations, religious freedom, and human rights. Contact Eva at eva.fu@epochtimes.com
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