Zhang Youxia (Chinese:张又侠; born July 1950) is a Chinese general in thePeople's Liberation Army (PLA) and currently the first-rankedvice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC).
Zhang previously served as Head of the CMCEquipment Development Department, and its predecessor, thePLA General Armaments Department, from 2012 to 2017. He is the son of GeneralZhang Zongxun. He is a veteran of the 1979Sino-Vietnamese War and one of the few serving generals in China with war experience.
Zhang was born and raised inBeijing, but traces his ancestry to Yantou Village,Weinan,Shaanxi Province. He is the son ofZhang Zongxun, a Communist general in theChinese Civil War, earning himprinceling status.[1][2] Zhang Youxia's father andCCP General SecretaryXi Jinping's fatherXi Zhongxun both hail from the Weinan region ofShaanxi. Zhang attendedBeijing Jingshan School.[3]
Zhang joined the army in 1968 at 18 years of age. In 1976, he was serving in the 14th Group Army, stationed inYunnan province; and was rapidly promoted. He took part in theSino-Vietnamese War of 1979 between China and Vietnam, and then the 1984Battle of Laoshan.[3][4] In August 2000, he was named commander of the13th Group Army. In December 2005, he became the vice commander of theBeijing Military Region. He was promoted to commander of theShenyang Military Region in September 2007. He has been associated withNational University of Defense Technology as an Adjunct Professor since 2010.[5]
He attained the rank of major general in 1997, and lieutenant general in 2007. He became a member of theCentral Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in 2007. In July 2011, he was promoted to General. Prior to the18th Party Congress held in 2012, a wholesale re-shuffle of the PLA leadership took place. Zhang was tapped to replaceChang Wanquan as director of thePLA General Armaments Department. In November 2012, as is customary for the directors of the "four big departments" of the PLA, Zhang was named a member of theCentral Military Commission.[6]
In October 2017, Zhang was named as a member of thePolitburo of the Chinese Communist Party and the second-rankingvice chairman of the CCP Central Military Commission. He also became the vice chairman of the state CMC in March 2018.[5][7]
Zhang met with director of theGeneral Political Bureau of the Korean People's ArmyKim Su Gil in August 2019, where he told Kim that the delegation's visit as was of “crucial significance in bilateral exchange.“[8] According toSouth China Morning Post in November 2021, Zhang headed the anti-ship missile testing programme including a weapons-testing range with a mock-up US aircraft carrier.[9] In January 2022, during a meeting of PLA's disciplinary officials, Zhang said the PLA should come up with innovative measures to eliminate corruption problems.[10] He met with Pakistani Chief of Army StaffQamar Javed Bajwa, where both sides pledged to increase military ties.[11]
Although expected to retire under the CCP's informal retirement age, Zhang remained on the Politburo following the20th CCP National Congress in October 2022, and was re-appointed as the first-ranking CMC vice chairman.[1][12] He was also re-appointed as PRC CMC vice-chairman in March 2023.
In August 2023, Zhang told top military officials ensuring the quality of weaponry should be a top goal.[13] In October 2023, Zhang addressed theBeijing Xiangshan Forum by saying the PLA would "show no mercy" against any moves towardsTaiwanese independence.[14] He visited Russia in November 2023, meeting with Defense MinisterSergei Shoigu and PresidentVladimir Putin.[15] At the 19thWestern Pacific Naval Symposium in Qingdao in April 2024, Zhang called for abandoning "cold war mentality" and promised "firm countermeasures against unreasonable provocations" in theSouth China Sea.[16]
In August 2024, Zhang met with United States National Security AdvisorJake Sullivan, where he called on the US to "correct its strategic understanding of China, return to a rational and pragmatic policy toward China, [and] earnestly respectChina’s core interests".[17] He visited Vietnam in October, where he met with Communist Party General SecretaryTô Lâm, PresidentLương Cường, Prime MinisterPhạm Minh Chính and Defense MinisterPhan Văn Giang, saying the two countries were "making new progress" in defense relations.[18] The same month, he oversaw military readiness drills in Hebei.[19] He also visited Pakistan in November, meeting with Chief of Army StaffAsim Munir.[20]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commander of the13th Group Army 2000–2005 | Succeeded by Wang Xixin [zh] |
| Preceded by | Commander of theShenyang Military Region 2007–2012 | Succeeded by |
| Head of thePeople's Liberation Army General Armaments Department 2012–2015 | Succeeded by Position abolished | |
| New title | Head of theEquipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission 2015–2017 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Fan Changlong | Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party 2017– | Incumbent |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Vice Chairman of theCentral Military Commission 2018– | Incumbent |
Generals and admirals of the People's Republic of China in active service | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ground Force and Strategic Support Force |  | |
| Navy* | ||
| Air Force | ||
| Rocket Force | ||
| Armed Police Force | ||
*Although navyshang jiang is officially translated as "admiral", there is no distinction between "general" and "admiral" in Chinese. | ||
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