Today’s Focus: Why did Xu Qiliang suddenly die three days before the news leaked out? Over 80% of female Chinese university students refuse to give birth, saying “We are the last generation”; Is the door to peace hard to open? Russian-Ukrainian negotiations still raging.
The news of the death of former Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party, Xu Qiliang, has sparked attention due to the suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. Commentator Li Yanming published an article stating that Xu Qiliang had multiple intersections with Xi Jinping, and his sudden death at a sensitive moment suggests unusual implications.
According to official reports from the Chinese Communist Party, former Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Xu Qiliang, passed away “due to illness” on June 2, 2025, at the age of 75.
However, a few days before the official announcement of his death by the Communist Party, former Chinese media person Zhao Lanjian revealed on May 31 on an X platform that news of Xu Qiliang’s death had surfaced in the early hours of May 28, with internal rumors attributing his death to a “heart attack.” However, messages received from military insiders suggested that the cause of Xu Qiliang’s death was very complex. He may have collapsed suddenly due to intense mental distress following prolonged high pressure and involvement in the pre-war consolidation in the Taiwan Strait, leading to his marginalization and panic. Friends in the military even directly stated, “Xu Qiliang was scared to death.”
Why was Xu Qiliang scared to death, and how is it related to the military crackdown?
It is said that Xu Qiliang not only had several years of intersections with Xi Jinping but also had intimate relations with Xi, almost like family. After Xi Jinping came to power, he was instrumental in Xi’s military reforms and army purges. Hence, with Xi’s close aides facing successive troubles and rumors of falling out of favor rampant, Xu Qiliang’s sudden death raised speculation.
Xu Qiliang had numerous intersections with Xi Jinping. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, when Xi Jinping worked in Fujian, Xu Qiliang served as the Commander of the Eighth Army of the Air Force in Fuzhou, Fujian province. The two had years of collaborative experience.
During Xi Jinping’s tenure as Secretary of the Fuzhou Municipal Party Committee and First Secretary of the Fuzhou Military Region Party Committee, he had a group photo taken with Xu Qiliang and other military generals.
In November 2012, when Xi Jinping came to power, Xu Qiliang was promoted to the Political Bureau member and Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, overseeing political work throughout the military.
During Xu Qiliang’s tenure as Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, he led a series of “purges” in the military, resulting in the downfall of several senior military officials like Xu Caihou, Guo Boxiong, Zhang Yang, Fang Fenghui, all directly related to Xu Qiliang.
In July 2018, Bill Gertz, a senior editor of the Washington Beacon, revealed that Xu Qiliang was the principal architect behind Xi Jinping’s consolidation of his personal power. Over the past 7 years, from 2012 to 2018, Xu Qiliang was the executioner of Xi’s control and cleanup of the military.
It is reported that during Xu Qiliang’s work in Fujian, he had a close relationship with Xi Jinping, and they operated as a family long before Xi Jinping seized power. To bolster their power, Xi Jinping and Xu Qiliang conducted a secret anti-corruption campaign, eliminating potential rivals. During the military purge, the most sensitive high-ranking officers were handled personally by Xu Qiliang. Chinese affairs experts stated that Xu Qiliang was Xi Jinping’s most trusted person, and all previous arrests of senior officers were his recommendations.
In 2015, Xu Qiliang was formally appointed as the Executive Deputy Leader of the Military Reform Leadership Group. He led the military reforms, reorganizing…
(Continued)