Xu Qiliang

Xu Qiliang's rise from rural Shandong to air force general and Vice Chairman of China's Central Military Commission is a study in institutional endurance. I find it telling that a pilot reached the very top tier of one of the world's largest militaries and stayed there for over a decade. That requires far more than ambition; it demands judgment, timing, and survival instincts inside an opaque hierarchy. His Russian and Saudi honors hint at a man comfortable on the diplomatic stage too. Following his passing in 2025, I see him as a figure whose real influence lay mostly out of public view, which is exactly why he intrigues me.

Name (English)

Xu Qiliang

Name (Japanese)

許其亮

Born

March 29, 1950 (age 76)

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Aries / Tiger

Origin

Linqu County, People's Republic of China

Occupation

politician / military personnel

University

PLA National Defence University

Awards & achievements

• 2013 Order of the Friendship of Peoples
• Order of King Abdulaziz al Saud

• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xu%20Qiliang
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%A8%B1%E5%85%B6%E4%BA%AE
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q276049

Tags

• Linqu County
• politician
• military personnel

Last updated

2026-06-24

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.