Xing Shizhong (; September 1938 – 11 March 2019) was 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, ...

. He served as chief of staff and deputy commander 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 president of the PLA National Defence University (1995–2002). He was a member of the

15th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party The 15th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was in session from 1997 to 2002. The 14th Central Committee preceded it. It was followed by the 16th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. This was the first Central Committee ...

Biography

Xing was born in September 1938 in Licheng,

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 ...

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

. He enlisted in the

(PLA) in 1953 and graduated from the PLA Nanjing Engineering Institute in 1956. He joined the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...

the following year. He was a classmate of

Li Xinliang Li Xinliang (; born November 1936) is a general ('' shangjiang'') of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). He was a member of the 13th and 15th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. He was a representative of the 14th National Congress o ...

, who later served as commander of the Beijing Military Region. Xing had a military career spanning 50 years. He served as an engineering officer and a regimental commander in the Guangzhou Military Region. He was considered a protege of General Zhang Wannian, and was also connected to General Fu Quanyou. He fought in the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War, and was promoted to division commander for his performance in the war. He was later promoted to corps commander. He served as

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

of the

from 1985 to 1988, and was awarded the rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in 1988. After 1988 he served as deputy commander of the Lanzhou MR, and attained the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

in 1993. From 1995 to 2002 he served as president of the PLA National Defence University, an important position given the university's role in training top PLA officers. He was promoted to full general in March 1998. Xing was elected to the

, serving from 1997 to 2002. He was also a delegate to the 7th, 8th, and 10th

National People's Congress The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (NPC; ), or simply the National People's Congress, is constitutionally the supreme state authority and the national legislature of the People's Republic of China. With 2, ...

es. Xing died in

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 ...

on 11 March 2019, at the age of 80.

View on the China threat theory

In 1996, Xing published an article in the Communist Party journal '' Qiushi'', entitled "Put an end to the China threat theory". He argued that the idea of a rising power threatening the existing order maintained by an established power is rooted in

Western imperialism Imperialism is the state policy, practice, or advocacy of extending power and dominion, especially by direct territorial acquisition or by gaining political and economic control of other areas, often through employing hard power (economic and ...

. This logic is imposed on China by the West, whose imperialism is the real cause of instability in the world. He further argued that since the United States maintains a large network of military bases far from its homeland and tries to impose its own values on other nations, it has been and will continue to be a cause of conflicts in the world.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Xing, Shizhong 1938 births 2019 deaths People from Jinan People's Liberation Army generals from Shandong Chiefs of Staff of the Lanzhou Military Region Members of the 15th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party Delegates to the 7th National People's Congress Delegates to the 8th National People's Congress Delegates to the 10th National People's Congress