On January 23rd, former member of the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party and former Minister of the General Logistics Department, Liao Xilong, passed away in Beijing at the age of 85 after a battle with illness. The news of Liao’s death was only officially announced 6 days later. According to sources, Liao Xilong was a senior to Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia. Following Zhang Youxia’s arrest, both Liao Xilong’s son and brother were also taken into custody, causing immense distress to Liao Xilong, ultimately leading to his death.
The state-run Xinhua News Agency reported Liao Xilong’s death on January 29th around 6 p.m. It is said that Liao Xilong’s body was cremated at the Babaoshan Cemetery in Beijing on the same day.
The report also mentioned that during Liao Xilong’s illness and after his passing, CCP leader Xi Jinping, along with the other six members of the Politburo Standing Committee, Vice President of China, Han Zheng, and former CCP leader Hu Jintao, visited the hospital to offer condolences and comfort to Liao Xilong’s family through various means.
Public records show that Liao Xilong enlisted in the military in January 1959 in Sinnan County, Guizhou Province, and held various positions such as Commander of the 11th Army, Deputy Commander, and Commander of the Chengdu Military Region. In October 2002, he became Minister of the General Logistics Department and a member of the Central Military Commission in November of the same year. He was promoted to the rank of General in June 2000.
Of note is the delayed reporting of Liao Xilong’s “serious illness” and subsequent passing by 6 days.
Prior to this, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Zhang Youxia and Commission Member Liu Zhenli were declared fallen from grace on January 24th after being absent from the opening ceremony of a CCP Provincial Department-level officials’ seminar on January 20th.
On January 26th, commentator Cai Shenkun, who had previously disclosed Zhang Youxia’s downfall, cited sources on his self-media program indicating that Zhang Youxia was arrested on January 19th. On the 20th, both Liao Xilong’s son and brother were arrested, leaving Liao Xilong in confusion about who was taken, causing significant distress leading to his sudden death on the 23rd.
Reports suggested that Liao Xilong did not pass away due to illness but was shocked to death or driven to desperation, as in his later years, as a lifelong military man, the humiliation and blow he suffered were unbearable. He couldn’t accept this reality and succumbed to it in frustration.
Liao Xilong’s younger brother, Liao Xijun, a Major General, served as Deputy Minister of the Logistics Department of the Guizhou Military Area before becoming Minister in November 2002. In February 2008, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the Guizhou Military Area.
Cai Shenkun pointed out that Liao Xilong, like Zhang Youxia, had participated in the Vietnam War, was once Zhang Youxia’s superior, and played a crucial role in Zhang’s military career. During Hu Jintao’s leadership, Liao Xilong held the position of Minister of the General Logistics Department for 10 years.
On the afternoon of January 24th, the CCP military newspaper published an editorial about Zhang Youxia, politically labeling him as having “seriously betrayed the trust and mission of the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission, severely trampling and disrupting the system of the Chairman of the Military Commission.” Various sources indicated that the arrests of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli by the Xi Jinping administration had caused strong backlash and discontent within the CCP military.