Liu Lei

Liu Lei
刘雷
Political Commissar of the Lanzhou Military Region
Incumbent
Assumed office December 2014
Preceded by	Miao Hua
Political Commissar of the Xinjiang Military District
In office July 2013 – December 2014
Preceded by	Wang Jianmin
Succeeded by	Li Wei
Personal details
Born	February 1957 (age 67) Liaocheng, Shandong, China
Political party	Communist Party of China
Alma mater	PLA National Defence University, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Military service
Allegiance	China
Service/branch	People's Liberation Army
Years of service	1973 − present
Rank	48px Lieutenant General

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Liu.

Liu Lei (Chinese: 刘雷; born February 1957) is a lieutenant general (zhong jiang) of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China. He has been Political Commissar of the Lanzhou Military Region since December 2014, and formerly served as Political Commissar of the Xinjiang Military District.

Biography

Liu Lei was born in February 1957 in Liaocheng, Shandong province. He joined the PLA in 1973 at age 16. In the 1990s, he graduated from the joint combat commander training program of the PLA National Defence University. He also studied at the graduate school of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and holds a doctoral degree.

Liu has served in the Lanzhou Military Region for more than 40 years, including many years in the 21st Group Army. In June 2003, he became Director of the Political Department of the Nanjiang (Southern Xinjiang) Military District. He attained the rank of major general in July 2004. In January 2007, he became Political Commissar of the 21st Army. He was appointed Political Commissar of the Xinjiang Military District, which is under the Lanzhou MR, in July 2013.

In November 2013, six days after a suicide attack on Beijing's Tiananmen Square, thought to be perpetrated by Uyghurs from Xinjiang, Commander Peng Yong of the Xinjiang MD was removed from the Regional Party Standing Committee, the Communist Party governing body in Xinjiang, and replaced by Liu Lei.

Liu attained the rank of lieutenant general (zhong jiang) in July 2014, and was promoted to Political Commissar of the Lanzhou Military Region in December 2014, replacing Miao Hua, who had been promoted to Political Commissar of the PLA Navy. Major General Li Wei (李伟) succeeded Liu as Political Commissar of the Xinjiang MD.