Ma Xiaotian (; born August 1949) is a retired general who served as Commander of the Chinese

People's Liberation Army Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force, also referred to as the Chinese Air Force () or the People's Air Force (), is the primary aerial warfare service of the People's Liberation Army. The PLAAF controls most of the PLA's air assets, includi ...

(PLAAF) from 2012 to 2017. He also served as Deputy Chief of the

Joint Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is the body of the most senior uniformed leaders within the United States Department of Defense, which advises the president of the United States, the United States Secretary of Defense, secretary of defense, ...

and President of the PLA National Defence University.

Biography

Born August 1949 in

Gongyi Gongyi (), formerly Gong County (), is a county-level city of Henan, Henan Province, South Central China, South Central China, it is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Zhengzhou. It has a population of 790,000 people and an a ...

Henan Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...

Province, Ma joined the air force in 1965, and learned to fly at the 2nd Preparatory Flight School, before formally entering the 12th Flight School the next year. After his graduation in 1968, he became a military instructor. Ma joined 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 ...

in 1969, and beginning in 1972 saw a continuous series of promotions. In 1983, he became the deputy headmaster, and was then promoted to headmaster. In 1993, Ma began studies at the PLA National Defence University. After graduating in 1994, he became the head of staff of the 10th division of the Air Force, and was later promoted to head of the division. In March 1997, Ma became the deputy head of staff of the PLA Air Force. The next year, he served as the head of staff of the Air Force of the Guangzhou Military Region. He has also served as the deputy head and the head of the Air Force of the Lanzhou Military Region. In 2001, he became the deputy head and the head of the Air Force of the Nanjing Military Region. In 2003, Ma was promoted to the deputy head of the Air Force. In 2006, he became the President of the PLA National Defence University. In 2007, he was appointed deputy chief of the Joint Staff. He was a member of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Central Committees of the Chinese Communist Party. In July 2009 he was promoted to full general.''New Dimensions of Security: General Ma Xiaotian''
5 June 2010

International Institute for Strategic Studies The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is an international research institute or think tank focusing on defence and security issues. Since 1997, its headquarters have been at Arundel House in London. It has offices on four co ...

He succeeded Xiong Guangkai as chairman of the China Institute for International Strategic Studies (CIISS).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ma, Xiaotian 1949 births Living people People's Liberation Army generals from Henan Commanders of the People's Liberation Army Air Force People from Zhengzhou PLA National Defence University alumni