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

People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the People's Republic of China (PRC). It consists of four Military branch, services—People's Liberation Army Ground Force, Ground Force, People's ...

(PLA) of China. He was chief of the

Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission The Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission (JSDCMC) ( zh , s = 中央军委联合参谋部 ) is the command organ and the headquarters for the People's Liberation Army (PLA), superseding the former PLA General Staff Departm ...

from 2017 to 2022. Between 2015 and 2017, he served as the inaugural Commander of the PLA Ground Force. A veteran of the Sino-Vietnamese War, 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,

Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...

. He joined the PLA in 1970 at the age of 17. In 1978, Li fought in the Sino-Vietnamese War as a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

commander in the

Guangxi Guangxi,; officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam (Hà Giang Province, Hà Giang, Cao Bằn ...

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 Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

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 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 chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, 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 gro ...

Xi Jinping Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...

. 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), also referred to as the PLA Army, is the army, land-based service branch of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), and also its largest and oldest branch. The PLAGF can trace its lineage from 192 ...

. 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 based on a system of people's congress within the parameters of a Unitary state, unitary communist state, in which the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) enacts its policies through people's ...

would "resolutely smash" any separatist moves by

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. 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 Anhua County 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 Chinese military personnel of the Sino-Vietnamese War