Liu Huaqing

Biography

Early Revolutionary Period and Chinese Civil War

Liu joined the Communist Youth League of China in October 1929, before joining the Chinese Red Army in December 1930 and becoming an official member of the Chinese Communist Party in October 1935. He participated in the Long March as Head of the Organisation, Propaganda, Culture and Printing Section of the Political Department of the 25th Army during the period from 1934-1936.

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Liu advanced through the ranks, culminating in becoming the Deputy Political Commissar of the Political Department of the Jili-Yu Military Region.

At the start of the Chinese Civil War's second phase after the defeat of Japan, Liu was the political commissar of the 6th Brigade, 2nd Division in the Jin-Hebei-Lu-Yu Military District. By 1949, he had become the political commissar of the 11th Army, 3rd Corps of the Second Field Army.

People's Republic of China

Following the victory over the Kuomintang, Liu was the deputy political commissar of the 10th Army, before being appointed as the vice-principal and deputy political commissar of the Dalian Naval Academy in 1952. In 1954, Liu was sent to the Voroshilov Naval Academy in the Soviet Union along with a group of senior cadres to study. Upon returning from the Soviet Union, Liu was awarded the rank of Admiral in 1955. In 1958, he was Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff of the Lushun Naval Base as well as being Deputy Commander of the North Sea Fleet, before being promoted to Commander of the Lushun Naval Base.

In 1965, Liu left the military to become the Vice Minister of the Sixth Ministry of Machine Building. In 1966, he was made Deputy Director of the Commission for Defence Technology.

During the Cultural Revolution, Liu's career was relatively unimpaired. He was transferred officially to the Navy in 1969 along with being appointed to the Naval Shipbuilding Industry Group as its director. In 1970, Liu was made Deputy Chief of Staff of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), and took up a high position in the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1975.

Following the end of the Cultural Revolution and the beginning of the Reform and Opening Up period, Liu travelled to the United States to visit American aircraft carriers. He was then appointed Commander of the PLAN in 1982.

Leading the PLAN

Taking over the role of Navy Commander-in-Chief from his predecessor Ye Fei (who retired due to health problems in 1982), Liu had outlined a three-step process by which China would have a navy of global reach by the second half of the 21st century. In step one, from 2000 to 2010, China would develop a naval force that could operate up to the first island chain. In step two, from 2010 to 2020, China's navy would become a regional force capable of projecting force to the second island chain. In step three, to be achieved by 2040, China would possess a blue-water navy centered around aircraft carriers. He was a strong advocate of the Chinese aircraft carrier programme.

During that time, Liu was a member of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and was the top commander of the troops enforcing martial law to suppress the Tiananmen Square protests on 3–4 June 1989.

Central Military Commission and Retirement

In 1990, Liu became the Vice Chairman of the CMC.

In 1992, Liu became the 6th-ranked member of the Politburo Standing Committee, the Communist Party's top leadership body. He was the last active military member to sit on the Standing Committee, and since his departure from the Standing Committee in 1997, no other military leader has sat on the Committee. Liu officially retired from the military after stepping down as Vice Chairman of the CMC in March 1998.

Liu remained active through the mid-1990s and appeared in uniform at 2007 commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army in Beijing. He also appeared in Beijing during the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 2009.

Liu died on 14 January 2011 in Beijing. His son Liu Zhuoming is a vice admiral of the PLA Navy. His daughter Liu Chaoying, a former lieutenant colonel in the PLA, was a major figure in the 1996 United States campaign finance controversy.

References

References

1. "人民网--404页面".
2. Liu, hua qing. (2004). "Liu hua qing hui yi lu". Jie fang jun chu ban she.
3. Ian Storey and You Ji, 'China's Aircraft Carrier Ambitions: Seeking Truth from Rumors', Naval War College Review, Vol.57, No.1 (Winter 2004), p.76-93.
4. Winterford, David. (Winter 1993). "Chinese Naval Planning and Maritime Interests in the South China Sea: Implications for U.S. and Regional Security Policies". [[Brill Publishers]].
5. Dooley, Howard J.. (Spring–Summer 2012). "The Great Leap Outward: China's Maritime Renaissance". Institute for National Security Strategy.
6. zh. 吴仁华). (2009). Truth Publishing House
7. Li, Xiaobing. (2024). "China under Xi Jinping: A New Assessment". [[Leiden University Press]].
8. (14 January 2011). "China's former military leader passes away". [[People's Daily Online]].
9. (December 2013). "Behind the Periscope: Leadership in China's Navy". [[Defense Technical Information Center]].
10. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/campfin/stories/liu052498.htm Liu's Deals With Chung: An Intercontinental Puzzle] ''Washington Post'', 24 May 1998. Retrieved 10 November 2020.