Liu Yazhou is a retired general of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force, and the political commissar of the PLA National Defence University from 2009 to 2017.
12 Facts About Liu Yazhou
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Liu Yazhou is known for his hawkish views on the defense and strategic posture he believes China should adopt.
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Liu Yazhou has been described as a "princeling": his father was a senior military officer and his father-in-law was Li Xiannian, one of the Chinese Communist Party's Eight Immortals and president of China in the era of Deng Xiaoping.
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Liu Yazhou has written novels and essays to both acclaim and controversy.
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Liu Yazhou leans on the sayings of former Chinese leaders to make indirect criticisms of Chinese Communist Party policies.
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Unlike many PLA officials, Liu Yazhou has traveled much overseas, including serving as a visiting professor at Stanford University.
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In 2010 Liu Yazhou was promoted by deputy political commissar of the PLA Air Force, to political commissar of NDU, the premier academic and defense research institute in China.
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Liu Yazhou made headlines in the West in 2010 when he made a series of public remarks about democracy in China.
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Remarks like this led to Liu Yazhou gaining a reputation as an "outspoken" and "reformist" general.
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Liu Yazhou suggests that further reforms require political change, and ultimately even competitive elections.
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Liu Yazhou advocated "diplomacy over fighting," and suggested the exploitation of Taiwan's political system over strongarm tactics.
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Liu Yazhou's wife is Li Xiaolin, daughter of Li Xiannian, the President of China under Deng Xiaoping leadership.