Xu Qiliang, a prominent Chinese general and close confidant of President Xi Jinping, has died at the age of 75 due to illness, according to state media. The former vice chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) passed away on Monday (June 2) in Beijing. Xu held a key position on the Communist Party’s top military leadership body for two consecutive terms, from 2012 to 2022, aligning closely with Xi Jinping’s rise to power. His military career spanned decades in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, where he became Commander in 2007 following service in the General Staff Department.

A brief obituary from Xinhua, China’s state news agency, praised Xu as an “outstanding member of the Communist Party” and a “remarkable leader of the PLA.” Notably, Xu was the first CMC vice chair without a background in the land forces—reflecting a shift toward a more modern and integrated military strategy in China. Despite a sweeping anti-corruption crackdown that began under Xi and brought down former CMC vice chairs Xu Caihou and Guo Boxiong, Xu Qiliang remained untouched. More recently, however, the PLA has seen a renewed wave of anti-graft efforts, leading to the removal or suspension of numerous senior officers, including two former defense ministers and a current CMC member, Miao Hua.

Born to a rural family in Shandong province in eastern China, Xu enlisted in the PLA in 1966 at the start of the Cultural Revolution. He championed modernization efforts in the military, playing a vital role in upgrading the air force with advanced stealth aircraft and amphibious capabilities. Xu’s relationship with Xi dates back to the early 1990s when he led an air force unit in Fuzhou, Fujian province, where Xi served as the local Communist Party chief. Their reported closeness began during this time.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Reuters.