Li Zuocheng (; born October 1953) is a general of the

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 For ...

(PLA) of China, currently serving as the chief of the

Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission The Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission (JSDCMC) () is the command organ and the headquarters for the People's Liberation Army (PLA), superseding the former PLA General Staff Department (GSD). It was established on 11 Jan ...

. Between 2015 and 2017, he served as the inaugural Commander of the

PLA Ground Force The People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF; ) is the land-based service branch of the People's Liberation Army and the largest and oldest branch of the entire Chinese armed forces. The PLAGF can trace its lineage from 1927 as the Chines ...

. A veteran of the

Sino-Vietnamese War The Sino-Vietnamese War (also known by other names) was a border war fought between China and Vietnam in early 1979. China launched an offensive in response to Vietnam's actions against the Khmer Rouge in 1978, which ended the rule of the ...

, he served in southern China for most of his career and was commander of the Chengdu Military Region between 2013 and 2016.

Biography

Li Zuocheng was born in October 1953 in

Anhua County Anhua County () is a county in the Province of Hunan, China, it is under the administration of Yiyang Prefecture-level City. Located in the north-central part of the province, the county is bordered to the north by Dingcheng District of Chang ...

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi ...

. He joined the PLA in 1970 at the age of 17. In 1978, Li fought in the

as a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of people, whether natural, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specific, declared go ...

commander in the

Guangxi Guangxi (; ; alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ...

Military District. His unit fought a lengthy engagement with the Vietnamese army that lasted 26 days. He was injured in battle. His unit was named by the Central Military Commission and awarded merit of the first class. In 1982, Li was selected to sit in the Presidium () of the 12th National Congress of the

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

at age 29. Li Zuocheng became a division commander by 1994. His division helped in relief efforts of the Guangxi floods in the summer of 1994, and the entire division was awarded merit of the second class. He was promoted to the rank of major general in 1997. In 1998, 45-year-old Li Zuocheng succeeded Ou Jingu () as Commander of the 41st Group Army. He commanded the 41st Army in the relief efforts of the great Yangtze floods of that year. Li was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of the

Guangzhou Military Region The Guangzhou Military Region was from 1955 to 2016 one of the People's Liberation Army PLA Military Regions, located in the south of the People's Republic of China. In May 1949, the Central China (Hua Zhong) Military Region (MR) was formed. In M ...

in 2002. Even though this was technically a lateral move, the transfer was seen as a 'sidelining' of Li, because he was no longer serving on the frontline of command. In December 2007, he was transferred to the Chengdu Military Region and became its Deputy Commander. He attained the rank of lieutenant general in 2009. In August 2013, he was promoted to Commander of the Chengdu Military Region, replacing the retiring general Li Shiming. On 31 July 2015, Li Zuocheng was promoted to general ('' shangjiang''), alongside nine other officers by Central Military Commission

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping ( ; ; ; born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and thus as the paramount leader of China, ...

. After the PLA's re-organization in late 2015, Li was named the inaugural commander of the

People's Liberation Army Ground Force The People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF; ) is the land-based service branch of the People's Liberation Army and the largest and oldest branch of the entire Chinese armed forces. The PLAGF can trace its lineage from 1927 as the Chines ...

. In August 2017, Li was named by Xi Jinping Chief of the

. On 30 May 2020, as the twin national security legislation for Hong Kong and National Anthem Bill for Hong Kong affairs startled the world, Li Zuocheng said that the

Chinese government The Government of the People's Republic of China () is an authoritarian political system in the People's Republic of China under the exclusive political leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It consists of legislative, executive, m ...

would "resolutely smash" any separatist moves by

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

. He spoke at the 15th anniversary of the Anti-Secession Law that gives the PLA a legal basis to take military action against China’s dissentient.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Zuocheng 1953 births Living people People's Liberation Army generals from Hunan People from Yiyang Commanders of the Chengdu Military Region Chiefs of Staff of the Guangzhou Military Region Members of the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party