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Xu Caihou joined the military in 1963 and the Communist Party in 1971. Photo: Reuters

Xu Caihou: the general who rose up the ranks but fell from grace

Xu Caihou climbed the military and party ladder before his demise in the anti-graft crackdown

CARY

Xu Caihou, the disgraced former People's Liberation Army senior leader, died of bladder cancer on Sunday at age 71.

Xu, who as a former vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) was the PLA's second-in-command, was facing prosecution for corruption after coming under investigation last year. He was the most senior PLA general to be investigated for graft in the Communist Party's history.

In a brief report issued late on Sunday, Xinhua said military prosecutors had decided to drop the charges against the general, but would continue to process his alleged illicit financial gains in accordance with the law.

Xu was expelled from the party in June. When military prosecutors wrapped up their investigation of him in October, state media said his alleged crimes included abuse of power, accepting bribes directly or via family members in exchange for promotions, and advancing the interests of those close to him through the powers of his office.

Media reports suggested that it took investigators a week to catalogue the cash, jade, gems, paintings and rare antiques found in Xu's 2,000 sq m Beijing residence, before hauling the items away in 12 trucks.

Analysts said Xu's dramatic downfall revealed the extent of buying and selling of military ranks, raising questions about the combat readiness of the world's biggest army.

Xu's demise was also linked to that of former PLA General Logistics Department deputy chief Gu Junshan , who allegedly amassed a huge fortune by selling promotions.

Born to a working-class family in Liaoning province, Xu joined the army in 1963 and studied electrical engineering at the prestigious Military Engineering Institute in Harbin . He joined the party in 1971. He spent his earlier career in northeastern China before being transferred in 1992 to the PLA's General Political Department in Beijing. He later became editor of the PLA's flagship newspaper, In 1996 he became political commissar of the Jinan military area.

In 1999, Xu was promoted to general and joined the CMC, which controls the 2.3 million-strong armed forces. In 2004, he was named one of two CMC vice-chairmen reporting to the chairman, then president Hu Jintao . As the second-highest-ranking military officer, Xu's army portfolio covered political and personnel affairs, suggesting he was in charge of promotion and performance evaluations.

As he rose in the military, Xu also climbed the party hierarchy. At the 16th party congress in 2002, he was promoted to the Secretariat, an executive body that serves the Politburo and the top decision-making Politburo Standing Committee. Five years later, Xu became one of the Politburo's 25 members. He retired from the Politburo in 2012 and from the CMC in March, 2013.

Some observers say that Xu's downfall was politically motivated because he was seen as a protégé of former president Jiang Zemin and was a political ally of disgraced security chief and former Politburo Standing Committee member Zhou Yongkang . Zhou, who is also facing prosecution for corruption, was a political supporter of disgraced former Politburo member Bo Xilai , who was given a life sentence in 2013.

Since President Xi Jinping extended his anti-graft campaign to the military, 16 senior officers, including Xu, have been detained in the past year for suspected graft. Early this month, the PLA announced that another 14 officers had also come under investigation. Among them is Guo Zhenggang , the son of Xu's fellow CMC vice-chairman Guo Boxiong .

In the just-ended national legislature, a PLA delegate pointed his finger at Guo Boxiong in relation to his son's case, prompting speculation over the fate of the father. It is unclear if Xu's death and the end of his prosecution will affect Guo Boxiong.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: The general who rose up the ranks and fell from grace
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