Xu Caihou
Xu Caihou | ||
---|---|---|
徐才厚 | ||
Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission | ||
In office State Commission 13 March 2005 – 14 March 2013 Party Commission 19 September 2004 – 15 November 2012 | ||
Chairman | Hu Jintao | |
Head of the General Political Department of the People's Liberation Army | ||
In office November 2002 – September 2004 | ||
Preceded by | Yu Yongbo | |
Succeeded by | Li Jinai | |
Secretary of the Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Central Military Commission | ||
In office December 2000 – November 2002 | ||
Preceded by | Zhou Ziyu | |
Succeeded by | Zhang Shutian | |
Personal details | ||
Born | June 1943 Hanyu Pinyin Xú Cáihòu | |
Wade–Giles | Hsü Ts'ai-hou | |
IPA | [ɕǔ tsʰăɪhôu] |
Xu Caihou (Chinese: 徐才厚; June 1943 – March 15, 2015) was a Chinese general in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the country's top military council. As Vice-chairman of the CMC, he was one of the top ranking officers of the People's Liberation Army. He also held a seat on the 25-member Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party between 2007 and 2012.[1]
Born to a working-class family in
In March 2014, Xu was detained and put under investigation on suspicion of
Early life and education
Xu was born in 1943 to a working-class family in the town of
Xu graduated in 1968, in the midst of the Cultural Revolution, and was sent to the countryside to perform manual agricultural labour for over a year on a military-run farm in Tangyuan County in China's northeastern hinterlands.[7] Subsequently, due to his being of proletarian class background (his parents were factory workers), he was allowed the 'privilege' of re-joining the army. Xu enlisted in the spring of 1970 as an officer cadet and was stationed in Jilin province.[5] After joining the officer corps, it took him four years to earn his first promotion.[7]
Career
After the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping was eager to promote young university graduates as part of his military-reform program. Most of the commanding officers of the PLA at the time had only informal or middle school-level education. Beginning in 1982, Xu earned a series of quick promotions. Xu served in Jilin province for much of his early career, generally in roles that facilitated military-political relations.
Xu became the
Next, Xu served as the chief editor of the People's Liberation Army Daily newspaper; he stayed on the role for just over a year, being promoted again to lieutenant general in the process. In 1996, he became the political commissar of the Jinan Military Region, with a vast area of jurisdiction over military units in several eastern Chinese provinces. Xu's mission in facilitating "political affairs" in the military meant that, in practice, he was in charge of the promotion and performance evaluation of army officers.[7]
Central Military Commission
In 1999, Xu was promoted to the rank of General (
Xu's rapid promotions at around the turn of the century were attributed to the support given to him by then-Central Military Commission Chairman Jiang Zemin.[8] Observers believe that through Xu, Jiang continued to influence affairs in the military despite his official retirement in 2004; some retired officers simply described Xu and his partner of equal rank Guo Boxiong as "Jiang's proxy in the military."[9]
During his term as
Corruption allegations
"I used to work for Xu Caihou ... his method of doing things and choosing his people [for promotions] was, first, see how much money is involved, second, his personal affinity to them, and third, to rely on emotions and feelings. This was the worst part about his influence."
—Mj. General Yang Chunchang (March 2015)[11]
According to numerous reports in Chinese and international media, the practice of exchanging "cash for ranks" was widespread during Xu's term as vice-chairman; the practice was ostensibly common from the highest-ranking officers to the rank-and-file petty officers.[10] According to sources in the army, Xu's power during his CMC Vice-Chairmanship was largely unchecked, they cited an example where one officer attempted to bribe Xu with ten million yuan to secure a higher rank, another officer 'outbid' the first one with twenty million yuan (~$3.2 million), so Xu annulled the arrangement with the first officer.[11] Other accusations suggested that during Xu's term in office, an implicit set of prices were attached to each rank in the army as well as other 'privileges' such as party membership.[11]
It was reported in March 2014 that Xu, then aged 70, had been diagnosed with
Xu's supporters, pleading for clemency, said that having terminal cancer was akin to having already received the "death penalty," citing the precedent of former Vice-Premier Huang Ju as a case where corruption charges should not be pressed against an official in ill-health.[10] The decision to investigate Xu was reportedly made on 15 March 2014, when Xu was taken from his hospital bed by armed policemen. His wife, daughter and former secretary were also reportedly taken into custody.[10]
At a Chinese New Year gala for retired military officials in 2014, Xu reportedly tried to speak to Xi Jinping, who is the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, several times, without success.[10]
Expulsion from the party
Xu was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party on 30 June 2014.[13] State media described Xu's crimes as abuse of power, accepting bribes directly or via family members in exchange for promotions, and advancing the interests of those close to him through the powers vested in his office.[14]
Xu's downfall was unexpected because corruption investigations involving mid-tier military officers are rarely publicly announced in the People's Republic of China as to not compromise national security. Such an announcement involving a high-ranking general was entirely unprecedented.[15] Xu became the highest-ranked officer in the history of the People's Liberation Army to be investigated in corruption. During the investigation into Xu, investigators found over one tonne of cash in his Beijing home, along with precious gems, ancient artifacts, and artwork. It was said that much of the cash was still stowed away neatly in boxes marked with the names of individual officers, and that it took 12 trucks to transport all the materials confiscated from his home.[16]
Some analysts believe that Xu's downfall signaled a consolidation of military power directly under the hands of Xi Jinping and is of greater political significance than the corruption investigation surrounding
Death
Xu died on March 15, 2015, from bladder cancer and multiple organ failure at the
References
- ^ "Xu Caihou". People's Daily. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
- ^ "China completes military power transfer". USA Today. 19 September 2004. Retrieved 4 July 2010.
- ^ Baijie, An (1 June 2014). "Top-level general expelled for graft". China Daily. China Daily Information Co. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
- ISBN 9781317507888.
- ^ a b c d 徐才厚癌症恶化医治无效死亡. Sina. 16 March 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
- ^ Chin, Josh. "Chinese General Who Faced Graft Inquiry Dies of Cancer". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ Duo Wei Times. 2 July 2014. Archived from the originalon 9 July 2014. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
- ^ "徐才厚走過軍隊光輝10年". EJI Insight. 2 July 2014. Archived from the original on 7 January 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- ^ "Hu Jintao's weak grip on China's army inspired Xi Jinping's military shake-up: sources". South China Morning Post. 11 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Ex-PLA top general Xu Caihou held in cash for rank probe". South China Morning Post. 19 March 2014. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
- ^ a b c "少将:徐才厚他们架空当时的军委领导人". Ifeng. Caijing. 9 March 2015. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ a b Chan, Minnie (17 March 2014). "Corruption probe of PLA's Xu Caihou dropped because of terminal cancer". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
- ^ a b "China's Communist Party expels former military chief Xu Caihou in graft probe". South China Morning Post. 30 June 2014. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
- ^ 徐才厚被开除党籍 为他人晋升职务提供帮助- (in Chinese). Sohu News. 30 June 2014. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
- ^ a b Wang, Ya (30 June 2014). 远超周案 徐才厚案通报背后的六大解读. Duowei (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
- ^ "Chinese general caught with tonne of cash". Financial Times. 21 November 2014.
- ^ "China's biggest 'military tiger' Xu Caihou confesses to taking bribes", by Paul Armstrong and Steven Jiang, CNN, 29 October 2014
- ^ "军方间接公布徐死亡地点 301医院静悄悄". Duowei News. 16 March 2015. Archived from the original on 17 March 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ "Was news of Xu Caihou's death buried? Speculation mounts on demise of former PLA general". South China Morning Post. 15 March 2015.
- ^ "Former Chinese General Xu Caihou Dies of Cancer". South China Morning Post. 15 March 2015.