View source for Liang Guanglie

{{Short description|Chinese army general (1940–2024)}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2024}}
{{Family name hatnote|[[Liang (surname)|Liang]]|lang=Chinese}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[General]]
| name                = Liang Guanglie
| native_name         = {{Nobold|梁光烈}}
| native_name_lang    = zh-hans
| image               = Liang Guanglie 2012.jpg
| caption             = Liang in 2012
| office              = [[State councillor|State Councilor of China]]
| premier             = [[Wen Jiabao]]
| term_start          = 17 March 2008
| term_end            = 16 March 2013
| office1             = 10th [[Minister of National Defense (China)|Minister of National Defense]]
| premier1            = Wen Jiabao
| term_start1         = 17 March 2008
| term_end1           = 16 March 2013
| predecessor1        = [[Cao Gangchuan]]
| successor1          = [[Chang Wanquan]]
| office2             = Head of the [[People's Liberation Army General Staff Department]]
| term_start2         = November 2002
| term_end2           = 2007
| predecessor2        = [[Fu Quanyou]]
| successor2          = [[Chen Bingde]]
| birth_date          = 9 December 1940<ref>{{cite news |title=梁光烈同志生平|url=http://www.news.cn/20241118/9e08c1ceab354ace8f75e9fb71d05d34/c.html |access-date=18 November 2024 |publisher=News.cn |date=18 November 2024}}</ref>
| birth_place         = [[Santai County|Santai]], [[Sichuan]], [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|China]]
| death_date          = {{death date and age|df=yes|2024|11|12|1940|12|9}}
| death_place         = [[Beijing]], China
| party               = [[Chinese Communist Party]]
| alma_mater          = [[Henan University]]
| allegiance          = {{flag|China|name=People's Republic of China}}
| branch              = {{army|China}}
| serviceyears        = 1958–2013
| rank                = [[File:PLAGeneral r.png|48px]] [[General]]
| commands            = [[Ministry of National Defense (China)|Ministry of National Defense]] (1998–2003)<br />[[People's Liberation Army General Staff Department|PLA General Staff Department]] (2002–2007)<br />[[Nanjing Military Region]] (1999–2002)<br />[[Shenyang Military Region]] (1997–1999)<br />[[54th Group Army]] (1990–1993)<br />[[20th Group Army]] (1985–1990)
}}

'''Liang Guanglie''' ({{lang-zh |c = 梁光烈 |p = Liáng Guāngliè}}, also spelled as '''Liang Kuang-lieh'''; 9 December 1940 – 12 November 2024) was a Chinese general and who served as the [[Minister of National Defense (China)|Minister of National Defense]] from 2008 to 2013.

== Life and career ==
{{stack|[[File:Robert M. Gates and Liang Guanglie at the ministry of Defense in Beijing.jpg|thumb|260px|Liang with the visiting U.S. Secretary of Defense [[Robert M. Gates]] in Beijing, 2011]]}}

Liang joined the army in January 1958 and the [[Chinese Communist Party]] in November 1959. His first assignment was with the Second Regiment, First Division of the 1st Ground Force Army (1958–63), where he  rose to the ranks of commander of an engineering company, quartermaster of the special agent company and staff officer in the operations and training branch. Liang studied at the Xinyang Infantry School (1963–64) and graduated from [[Henan University]]'s political theory correspondence education program (1984–86).<ref>China Today: [http://www.chinatoday.com/who/l/liangguanglie.htm China's Who's Who]</ref> After finishing his studies, Liang returned to his unit until 1970 when he was promoted to the Operational Department staff of the Wuhan Military Region command headquarters where he remained until 1979.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Liang was named Deputy Commander of the 58th Division, 20th Group Army in 1979 and became commander in 1981–83. After a study break at the PLA Military Academy (March 1982 to January 1983), he was named deputy Commander of the [[20th Army (People's Republic of China)|20th Army]] in 1983 and Commander in 1985.  In June 1989, he led the 20th Army [[People's Liberation Army at Tiananmen Square protests of 1989|to enforce martial law]] in Beijing to suppress the [[Tiananmen Square protests of 1989|Tiananmen Square Protests]]. In 1990 he was transferred to command the [[54th Army (People's Republic of China)|54th Army]] and from December 1993 to July 1995, he was the chief of staff of [[Beijing Military Region]]. From July 1995 to December 1997, he was the deputy commander of Beijing Military Region. From December 1997 to December 1999, he was the commander of [[Shenyang Military Region]], and from December 1999 to November 2002, he was the commander of [[Nanjing Military Region]] and deputy secretary of CCP's committee.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Liang was the [[People's Liberation Army General Staff Department|General Chief of Staff]] of the [[People's Liberation Army]] from 2002 to 2007. He then served as a State Councilor and the Minister of National Defense. Additionally Liang was a member of [[Central Military Commission (People's Republic of China)|Central Military Commission]]. He was also an alternate member of the 13th and 14th CCP Central Committees, and a member of the 15th, 16th and [[17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party|17th Central Committee]]s.{{citation needed|date=August 2024}}

Liang retired at the [[18th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party]] in late 2012 and was replaced by General [[Chang Wanquan]].<ref>Li, Cheng, "[http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/opinions/2010/0628_military_leadership_li/0628_military_leadership_li.pdf China’s Midterm Jockeying: Gearing Up for 2012 (Part 3: Military Leaders)]"</ref>

Liang died in Beijing on 12 November 2024, at the age of 83 (Chinese media counted as aged 84 according to Chinese custom).<ref>{{cite news |title=梁光烈同志逝世 |url=http://www.news.cn/20241112/d9e9e04103f044199199571058ca8785/c.html |access-date=12 November 2024 |publisher=News.cn |date=12 November 2024}}</ref>

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite web |url = http://english.people.com.cn/data/people/liangguanglie.shtml |title=Liang Guanglie |publisher = [[People's Daily]] |access-date = 24 March 2007 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071211155041/http://www.straitstimes.com/print/Latest+News/Asia/STIStory_160402.html China's General Chen Bingde appointed to key military post] ([[Agence France-Presse|AFP]] via the ''[[Straits Times]]'')
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Liang Guanglie}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef
| before = Yang Shiyi
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = Commander of the [[20th Group Army]]
| years = 1985–1990
}}
{{s-aft
| after = {{ill|Ding Shouyue|zh|丁寿岳}}
}}
{{s-bef
| before = Zhu Chao
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = Commander of the [[83rd Group Army|54th Group Army]]
| years = 1990–1993
}}
{{s-aft
| after = {{ill|Zhang Xianglin|zh|张祥林}}
}}
{{s-bef
| before = {{ill|Huang Yunqiao|zh|黄云桥}}
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = Chief of Staff of the [[Beijing Military Region]]
| years = 1993–1995
}}
{{s-aft
| after = {{ill|Huang Xinsheng|zh|黄信生}}
}}
{{s-bef
| before = [[Li Xinliang]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = Commander of the [[Shenyang Military Region]]
| years = 1997–1999
}}
{{s-aft
| after = [[Qian Guoliang]]
}}
{{s-bef
| before = [[Chen Bingde]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = Commander of the [[Nanjing Military Region]]
| years = 1999–2002
}}
{{s-aft
| after = [[Zhu Wenquan]]
}}
{{s-bef
| before = General [[Fu Quanyou]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = Head of the [[People's Liberation Army General Staff Department]]
| years = 2002–2007
}}
{{s-aft
| after = General [[Chen Bingde]]
}}
{{s-gov}}
{{s-bef
| before = General [[Cao Gangchuan]]
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[Minister of National Defense (China)|Minister of National Defense]]
| years = 2008–2013
}}
{{s-aft
| after = General [[Chang Wanquan]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{State councillors}}
{{Ministers of National Defense of the People's Republic of China}}
{{People's Liberation Army Chiefs of General Staff}}
{{Officers of the Beijing Military Region}}
{{Officers of the Shenyang Military Region}}
{{Officers of the Nanjing Military Region}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liang, Guanglie}}
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:Ministers of national defense of the People's Republic of China]]
[[Category:People from Mianyang]]
[[Category:People's Liberation Army generals from Sichuan]]
[[Category:People's Liberation Army Chiefs of General Staff]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Shenyang Military Region]]
[[Category:Chiefs of staff of the Beijing Military Region]]
[[Category:1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre]]
[[Category:State councillors of China]]
[[Category:Chinese military personnel of the Sino-Vietnamese War]]
[[Category:Alternates of the 13th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party]]
[[Category:Alternates of the 14th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party]]
[[Category:Members of the 15th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party]]
[[Category:Members of the 16th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party]]
[[Category:Members of the 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party]]