Xu Qiling

Not to be confused with Xu Qiliang.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Xu.

Xu Qiling (Chinese: 徐起零; pinyin: Xú Qǐlíng; born July 1962) is a general (shangjiang) of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). He was the commander of the Western Theater Command. He formerly served as commander of the Western Theater Command Ground Force, commander of the Eastern Theater Command Ground Force, and commander of the 79th Group Army.

Xu Qiling
徐起零
Xu at a 2019 Military Exchange
Commander of the Western Theater Command
In office June 2021 – August 2021
Preceded by	Zhang Xudong
Succeeded by	Wang Haijiang
Commander of the Western Theater Command Ground Force
In office April 2020 – June 2021
Preceded by	He Weidong
Succeeded by	Yang Yi
Commander of the Eastern Theater Command Ground Force
In office December 2018 – April 2020
Preceded by	Qin Weijiang
Succeeded by	Lin Xiangyang
Commander of the 79th Group Army
In office March 2017 – December 2018
Succeeded by	Huo Jiangang
Personal details
Born	July 1962 (age 62–63) Huaiyang District, Zhoukou, Henan, China
Political party	Chinese Communist Party
Military service
Allegiance	People's Republic of China
Branch/service	People's Liberation Army Ground Force
Rank	General

Biography

Born in Huaiyang District, Zhoukou, Henan in July 1962, Xu served in Jinan Military Region before serving as the chief of staff for the 54th Group Army. He served as deputy commander of the Central Theater Command in 2016 and held that office until March 2017, when he was appointed commander of the 79th Group Army.^[1][2] He rose in rank to become commander of the Eastern Theater Command Ground Force in December 2018, replacing Qin Weijiang.^[3] Xu was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general by the Central Military Commission Chairman Xi Jinping on 11 December 2019 and later to the rank of general on 5 July 2021.^[4][5] He considered to be a part of the Fujian clique of the Xi Jinping faction in the Chinese Communist Party.

In April 2020, Xu was transferred to and appointed the commander of the Western Theater Command Ground Force amid the 2020–2021 China–India skirmishes, replacing He Weidong. Xu's relatively young age and familiarity with air-to-ground joint operations needed for mountain warfare have been cited as reasons for promotion during the conflict.^[6][7]

In June 2021, Xu was chosen to replace Zhang Xudong as commander of the Western Theater Command, tensions with India ongoing.^[8] Zhang had left the post suffering from cancer and gastrointestinal problems. Zhang died four months later in October. After only two months serving as commander, Xu also stepped down reportedly also out of poor health and amid a number of illnesses among both commanders and troops.^[9]