General Liu Zhenli was born in August 1964 in Luancheng, Hebei Province. He holds the rank of General in the Army and currently serves as the Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of China.
Early Military Career:
Liu Zhenli enlisted in the military in September 1983, serving in the reconnaissance company of the 112th Division of the Army. From 1986 to 1987, he participated in the Sino-Vietnamese border conflicts with the 12th Reconnaissance Battalion of the Lanzhou Military Region. During this period, he was awarded a First-Class Merit, a Second-Class Merit, and three Third-Class Merits.
Career Progression:
After the Sino-Vietnamese border conflicts, Liu Zhenli held various positions, including:
– Student
– Platoon Leader
– Deputy Company Commander
– Company Commander
– Staff Officer at Battalion Level
– Battalion Commander
– Deputy Director
– Director
– Chief of Staff of a Brigade
– Director of the Artillery Command of the 38th Army
– Commander of the 112th Division of the 38th Army
Senior Leadership Roles:
– December 2009 to January 2012: Chief of Staff of the 65th Group Army of the Beijing Military Region
– December 2010: Promoted to the rank of Major General at the age of 46
– February 2012 to February 2014: Commander of the 65th Group Army. At age 48, he became the youngest Group Army Commander at that time.
– March 2014 to July 2015: Commander of the 38th Group Army
– July 2015 to December 2015: Chief of Staff of the Chinese People’s Armed Police Force, becoming the youngest active-duty officer at the Deputy Military Region level
– December 2015 to June 2021: First Chief of Staff of the Army
– July 2016: Promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General at the age of 52
– June 2021 to September 2022: Commander of the Army
– July 2021: Promoted to the rank of General at the age of 57, becoming the youngest General in public records
– October 2022: Publicly reported as a member of the CMC
– March 2023 to present: Chief of Staff of the Joint Staff Department of the CMC