Liu Lei (; born February 1957) is a general of the Chinese

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...

(PLA). He has been Political Commissar of the

PLA Ground Force The People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF; ) is the land-based service branch of the People's Liberation Army and the largest and oldest branch of the entire Chinese armed forces. The PLAGF can trace its lineage from 1927 as the Chines ...

since December 2015, and formerly served as Political Commissar of the

Lanzhou Military Region The Lanzhou Military Region was one of seven military regions in the People's Republic of China. It directed all People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police forces in Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Ngari Prefecture in n ...

and the

Xinjiang Military District The Lanzhou Military Region was one of seven military regions in the People's Republic of China. It directed all People's Liberation Army and People's Armed Police forces in Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, and Ngari Prefecture in no ...

Biography

Liu Lei was born in February 1957 in

Liaocheng Liaocheng (), is a prefecture-level city in western Shandong province, China. It borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the southeast, Dezhou to the northeast, Tai'an to the south, and the provinces of Hebei and Henan to the west. The Grand ...

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...

province. He joined the PLA in 1973 at age 16. In the 1990s, he graduated from the joint combat commander training program of the

PLA National Defence University The People's Liberation Army National Defence University () is a Beijing-based national military university administered by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and funded by the Central Military Commission. The university is the highest militar ...

. He also studied at the graduate school of the

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republ ...

and holds a doctoral degree. Liu has served in the

for more than 40 years, including many years in the

21st Group Army The 76th Group Army (), formerly the 21st Group Army, is a military formation of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Ground Forces (PLAGF). The 76th Group Army is one of twelve total group armies of the PLAGF, the largest echelon of ground force ...

. In June 2003, he became Director of the Political Department of the Nanjiang (Southern Xinjiang) Military District. He attained the rank of major general in July 2004. In January 2007, he became Political Commissar of the 21st Army. He was appointed Political Commissar of the Xinjiang Military District, which is under the Lanzhou MR, in July 2013. In November 2013, six days after a suicide attack on

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

Tiananmen Square Tiananmen Square or Tian'anmen Square (; 天安门广场; Pinyin: ''Tiān'ānmén Guǎngchǎng''; Wade–Giles: ''Tʻien1-an1-mên2 Kuang3-chʻang3'') is a city square in the city center of Beijing, China, named after the eponymous Tiananmen (" ...

, thought to be perpetrated by

Uyghurs The Uyghurs; ; ; ; zh, s=, t=, p=Wéiwú'ěr, IPA: ( ), alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. The Uyghur ...

from Xinjiang, Commander

Peng Yong Peng Yong (; born January 1954) is a retired lieutenant general (''zhong jiang'') in the Chinese People's Liberation Army who served as commander of the Xinjiang Military District. Originally from Lulong County, Hebei, Peng joined the military i ...

of the Xinjiang MD was removed from the Regional Party Standing Committee, the Communist Party governing body in Xinjiang, and replaced by Liu Lei. Liu attained the rank of lieutenant general ('' zhongjiang'') in July 2014, and was promoted to Political Commissar of the Lanzhou Military Region in December 2014, replacing

Miao Hua Miao Hua (; born November 1955) is an admiral of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). He has served as director of the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission since October 2017. Previously he served as politica ...

, who had been promoted to Political Commissar of the

PLA Navy The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN; ), also known as the People's Navy, Chinese Navy, or PLA Navy, is the maritime service branch of the People's Liberation Army. The PLAN traces its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chinese ...

. Major General Li Wei succeeded Liu as Political Commissar of the Xinjiang MD.In December 2015, he was made the inaugural Political Commissar of

People's Liberation Army Ground Force The People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF; ) is the land-based service branch of the People's Liberation Army and the largest and oldest branch of the entire Chinese armed forces. The PLAGF can trace its lineage from 1927 as the Chine ...

. On July 28, 2017, Liu was promoted to the rank of general ('' shangjiang'').

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Lei 1957 births Living people People's Liberation Army generals from Shandong People from Liaocheng PLA National Defence University alumni Political commissars of the Lanzhou Military Region Political commissars of the Xinjiang Military District Delegates to the 11th National People's Congress Delegates to the 12th National People's Congress Members of the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party