Former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, Wei Fulin, passed away, and the official announcement was delayed for half a month. This comes at a sensitive time with the downfall of Zhang Youxia, the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission. Following the recent deaths of senior military figures like Liao Xilong, Wei Fulin is another “old leader” whose death was delayed in being announced by the authorities, raising suspicions. It was previously reported that after Wei Fulin’s death, the wreath sent by Zhang Youxia was removed.
On January 30th, China Central Television announced the death of Wei Fulin, stating that he passed away in Beijing on January 15th at the age of 88 due to ineffective medical treatment.
The delay in publicly announcing the death of high-ranking officials in the Chinese Communist Party is not uncommon. However, the postponement of Wei Fulin’s death announcement by half a month during the sensitive period of Zhang Youxia’s removal has attracted public attention.
Public records show that Wei Fulin was born in 1938 and started his military career in 1958 as a platoon leader in the 16th Army of the Shenyang Military Region. He rose through the ranks to become the Chief of Staff of the 16th Army and in 1985, he became the Minister of Operations of the General Staff Department of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. In 1990, he also served as the Director of the National Air Defense Committee’s Office. In 1992, he was appointed Assistant Chief of the General Staff. In 1994, he became the Commander of the Chengdu Military Region. The following year, he was appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, and in 2003, he transferred to become a member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of the Communist Party of China.
In 1994, Zhang Youxia was promoted to Deputy Commander of the 13th Group Army of the People’s Liberation Army and served in that group army for a long time. As the 13th Group Army was originally part of the Chengdu Military Region, Zhang Youxia was a subordinate of Wei Fulin between 1994 and 1995.
On January 22nd, independent commentator Cai Shenkun disclosed in advance on his platform the news of the arrest of Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, mentioning that Zhang Youxia was absent from the opening ceremony of the Provincial and Ministerial Level Cadre Special Seminar, as well as the scheduled annual activities of the National Defense University. More importantly, after the death of former Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Wei Fulin, the wreath sent by Zhang Youxia was also unexpectedly removed.
On January 30th, Cai Shenkun stated that the official announcement of Wei Fulin’s death was delayed by half a month. Wei Fulin was an old superior of Zhang Youxia. When I posted the message before, the comment section was full of criticism, but after the official announcement, these people pretended as if nothing had happened.
Wei Fulin became the second “old leader,” following Zhang Youxia’s incident, to be officially announced as deceased.
Previously, on January 29th, Xinhua News Agency reported that Liao Xilong, a former member of the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party, and the former Minister of General Logistics of the military, passed away in Beijing at the age of 85 due to ineffective medical treatment on January 23rd at 1:50 am. It is said that Liao Xilong’s body was cremated at the Babaoshan Cemetery in Beijing on the 29th.
The news of Liao Xilong’s “serious illness” and death was also reported six days after the fact.
Cai Shenkun mentioned that Liao Xilong, like Zhang Youxia, had participated in the Vietnam War, had been Zhang Youxia’s superior, and was an important mentor in Zhang’s military career. Liao Xilong served as the Minister of General Logistics for 10 years during the time when Hu Jintao was in power.
The sudden deaths of Zhang Youxia’s two “old leaders,” both in their eighties, have raised suspicions among netizens. Some say that for senior Chinese Communist Party officials who enjoy high-quality healthcare, dying in their eighties is not unusual.
On January 26th, Cai Shenkun revealed on his self-media program that the day after Zhang Youxia was arrested, Liao Xilong’s son and brother were also taken away. Liao Xilong made a round of phone calls but couldn’t figure out who had been taken away, and a few days later he suddenly passed away. Insiders claim that Liao Xilong’s death was not “due to illness” but was caused by scare or anger.
Liao Xilong’s younger brother, Liao Xijun, held the rank of Major General and served as Deputy Minister of the Logistics Department of the Guizhou Military Region. In November 2002, he became the Minister of the Logistics Department of the Guizhou Military Region, and in February 2008, he was appointed Deputy Commander of the Guizhou Military Region.