Jump to content

Li Shangfu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Uwdwadafsainainawinfi (talk | contribs) at 11:47, 12 March 2023. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Li.
General
Li Shangfu
李尚福
Li in Moscow in 2017
State Councilor of the People’s Republic of China
Assumed office
12 March 2023
PremierLi Qiang
13th Minister of National Defense
Assumed office
12 March 2023
PremierLi Qiang
CMC ChairmanXi Jinping
Preceded byWei Fenghe
Head of the Equipment Development Department
In office
September 2017 – October 2022
Preceded byZhang Youxia
Succeeded byXu Xueqiang
Commander of the China Manned Space Program
In office
September 2017 – October 2022
Preceded byZhang Youxia
Succeeded byXu Xueqiang
Personal details
BornFebruary 1958 (age 66)
Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Political partyChinese Communist Party
Alma materNational University of Defense Technology
Military service
Allegiance People's Republic of China
Branch/service People's Liberation Army Ground Force
People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force
Years of service1978–present
Rank General

Li Shangfu (Chinese: 李尚福; pinyin: Lǐ Shàngfú; born February 1958) is a Chinese aerospace engineer and general of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Li is currently a State Councilor of the People's Republic of China and the Minister of National Defence since March 2023. He served as head of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission from 2017 to 2022. He previously served as Deputy Commander of the PLA Strategic Support Force and Deputy Commander of the PLA General Armaments Department. He spent 31 years working at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, including 10 years as its director.

Biography

Li Shangfu was born in February 1958 in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, with his ancestral home in Xingguo County, Jiangxi Province. He is the son of Li Shaozhu (李绍珠), a Red Army veteran and former high-ranking officer of the PLA Railway Force.[1] Li Shangfu joined the PLA when he entered the National University of Defense Technology in 1978. After graduating in 1982, he began working at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center as a technician.[2]

In December 2003, he was promoted to Director (Commander) of the center at the age of 45. In 2006, he attained the rank of major general.[2] In his ten years as director of the Xichang center, Li oversaw several rocket launches, including the launch of the Chang'e 2 lunar probe in October 2010.[3]

After 31 years working in Xichang, Li was appointed Chief of Staff of the PLA General Armaments Department (GAD) in 2013, replacing Major General Shang Hong.[1][2] A year later, he was made Deputy Director of the GAD.[2]

In 2016, Li was appointed Deputy Commander of the newly established PLA Strategic Support Force, which is responsible for cyberspace, space, and other high-tech warfare. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general in the same year.[2] In September 2017, Li was appointed Director of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission, the successor department of the GAD, replacing General Zhang Youxia.[2]

In October 2017, Li was elected a member of the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.[4]

On 20 September 2018, Li Shangfu, along with the Equipment Development Department, were sanctioned by the U.S. government for "engaging in significant transactions with persons" sanctioned under CAATSA, namely for transactions that involved ″Russia's transfer to China of Su-35 combat aircraft and S-400 surface-to-air missile system-related equipment″.[5][6][7]

In October 2022, he was elected as a member of the 20th Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China.[8] He ranked first among the members of the Central Military Commission.[8] It is believed by the outside world that he will succeed General Wei Fenghe in March 2023 and serve as the new Minister of Defense of the People's Republic of China.[8]

On January 18, 2023, Li Shangfu attended the Central Military Commission promotion ceremony, and was appointed State Councilor and Minister of Defense on March 12 of the same year.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b 七大军区岗位调动超30人 史鲁泽直升北京军区参谋长. Phoenix News (in Chinese). 8 January 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Zhao Lei (19 September 2017). "PLA says chief of its arms wing replaced". China Daily.
  3. ^ 李尚福任军委装备发展部部长 从事航天30余年. Sina (in Chinese). 18 September 2017.
  4. ^ "List of members of the 19th CPC Central Committee". Xinhua News Agency. 24 October 2017. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017.
  5. ^ US sanctions Chinese military for buying Russian weapons CNN, 21 September 2018.
  6. ^ U.S. sanctions China for buying Russian fighter jets, missiles Reuters, 20 September 2018.
  7. ^ CAATSA Section 231: "Addition of 33 Entities and Individuals to the List of Specified Persons and Imposition of Sanctions on the Equipment Development Department" U.S. Department of State, September 20, 2018.
  8. ^ a b c "（二十大受权发布）中国共产党第二十届中央委员会第一次全体会议公报-新华网". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
  9. ^ "[视频]中央军委举行晋升上将军衔仪式 习近平颁发命令状并向晋衔的军官表示祝贺". tv.cctv.com. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
Military offices
Preceded by Director of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center
2003–2013 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief of Staff of the Headquarters of the General Armament Department of the People's Liberation Army
2013–2014 		Succeeded by
New title Chief of Staff of the People's Liberation Army Strategic Support Force
2016–2017 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Commander of the China Manned Space Program
2017–2022 		Succeeded by
Head of the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission
2017–2022
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Li_Shangfu&oldid=1144204761"