Xu Qiling Explained

Office1:Vice chief of the CMC Joint Staff Department
Term Start1:August 2021
Office2:Commander of the Western Theater Command
Term Start2:June 2021
Term End2:August 2021
Predecessor2:Zhang Xudong
Successor2:Wang Haijiang
Office3:Commander of the Western Theater Command Ground Force
Term Start3:April 2020
Term End3:June 2021
Predecessor3:He Weidong
Successor3:TBA
Office4:Commander of the Eastern Theater Command Ground Force
Term Start4:December 2018
Term End4:April 2020
Predecessor4:Qin Weijiang
Successor4:Lin Xiangyang
Office5:Commander of the 79th Group Army
Term Start5:March 2017
Term End5:December 2018
Predecessor5:New title
Successor5:Huo Jiangang
Xu Qiling
Native Name Lang:zh
Birth Place:Huaiyang District, Zhoukou, Henan, China
Party:Chinese Communist Party
Rank: General

Xu Qiling (; born July 1962) is a general (Shangjiang) of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). He was the commander of the Western Theater Command. He formerly served as commander of the Western Theater Command Ground Force, commander of the Eastern Theater Command Ground Force, and commander of the 79th Group Army.

Biography

Born in Huaiyang District, Zhoukou, Henan in July 1962, Xu served in Jinan Military Region before serving as the chief of staff for the 54th Group Army. He served as deputy commander of the Central Theater Command in 2016 and held that office until March 2017, when he was appointed commander of the 79th Group Army.[1] [2] He rose in rank to become commander of the Eastern Theater Command Ground Force in December 2018, replacing Qin Weijiang.[3] In April 2020, Xu was transferred to the Western Theater Command and appointed commander of its ground force.

Xu was awarded the rank of lieutenant general by the Central Military Commission Chairman Xi Jinping on 11 December 2019 and later to the rank of general on 5 July 2021.[4] [5]

In June 2021, Xu was chosen to replace Zhang Xudong as commander of the Western Theater Command after Zhang left the post suffering from cancer and gastrointestinal problems. Zhang died four months later in October. After only two months serving as commander, Xu also stepped down reportedly also out of poor health and amid a number of illnesses among both commanders and troops. Xu was transferred to the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC) to serve as vice chief.[6]

Xu was a delegate to the 13th National People's Congress.

References

Notes and References

  1. News: Wang Jun (Chinese: 王俊). https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1505043 . zh:陆军第54集团军原参谋长徐起零少将任中部战区陆军副司令员 . thepaper . 27 July 2016 . 11 December 2019 . zh.
  2. News: http://china.caixin.com/2017-08-02/101114293.html . zh:多个集团军主官亮相 张孟滨任82军政委 . caixin.com . 2 August 2017 . 11 December 2019 . zh.
  3. News: Yan Hongliang (Chinese: 闫宏亮). http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2019-01-03/doc-ihqfskcn3708593.shtml . zh:接棒秦卫江 徐起零出任东部战区陆军司令 . sina . 3 January 2019 . 11 December 2019 . zh.
  4. News: Song Guoqing (Chinese: 宋国庆). Li Xiaojing (Chinese: 李晓婧). http://www.bjnews.com.cn/news/2019/12/11/660365.html . zh:刘发庆、黄铭等6名陆军军官晋升中将军衔 . Beijing News . 11 December 2019 . 11 December 2019 . zh.
  5. News: Jia Nan (Chinese: 贾楠). https://news.sina.com.cn/c/2021-07-05/doc-ikqcfnca5103262.shtml . zh:4人晋升上将! . Sina . 5 July 2021 . 6 July 2021 . zh.
  6. Web site: 2021-10-06 . Former head of China's Western Theatre Command dies aged 58 . 2022-07-23 . South China Morning Post . en.