Air Force General
Ding Laihang
丁来杭
Maj. Gen. Ding in 2009
12th Commander of the People's Liberation Army Air Force
In office
August 2017 – September 2021[1]
Preceded byMa Xiaotian
Succeeded byChang Dingqiu
Commander of the Northern Theater Command Air Force
In office
February 2016 – August 2017
Preceded byNew position
Succeeded byXu Xueqiang
Commander of the Shenyang Military Region Air Force
In office
August 2012 – January 2016
Preceded byZhou Laiqiang
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Personal details
BornSeptember 1957 (age 66)
Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
Political partyChinese Communist Party
Military service
Allegiance People's Republic of China
Branch/service People's Liberation Army Air Force
Years of service?–2021
Rank Air Force General
Commands People's Liberation Army Air Force
Northern Theater Command Air Force
Shenyang Military Region Air Force
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese丁来杭
Traditional Chinese丁來杭

Ding Laihang (Chinese: 丁来杭; born September 1957) is a general of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) who served as Commander of People's Liberation Army Air Force from 2017 to 2021. Prior to that, he was commander of the Shenyang Military Region Air Force and then commander of the Northern Theater Command Air Force.

Biography

Ding was born in September 1957 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang.[2] He became regimental commander of Regiment 71 of 24th Fighter Aviation Division while in his early 30s. From the position of division deputy commander he moved to command of a training base in the Beijing Military Region Air Force, a divisional unit. Like Ma Zhenjun, he emphasized combat-realistic "Red versus Blue" training.[3]

In 2001, he was swiftly promoted to chief of staff of the 8th Corps, deployed on the Taiwan Front, reaching the deputy corps level at the age of 44. When the 8th Corps was reorganized down to the Fuzhou Forward Commanding Post in 2003, Ding was its founding head. In 2007 he was promoted to be president of PLA Air Force Command Academy. A year later he was transferred to the Chengdu Military Region Air Force as its chief of staff. Ding was one of the youngest senior officers among the seven PLAAF Military Regions (at the full corps rank).[3]

In August 2012, Ding was promoted to commander of the Shenyang Military Region Air Force, as well as Deputy Commander of the Shenyang MR.[2] In February 2016, he was appointed the inaugural Air Force commander and deputy commander of the Northern Theater Command, which was newly established in Xi Jinping's military reform.[4] In August 2017, he was promoted to commander of the PLA Air Force, succeeding General Ma Xiaotian.[5]

Ding attained the rank of major general in July 2003, and lieutenant general (zhong jiang) in July 2013. He was a member of the 11th National People's Congress.[2] In October 2017, he was elected as a member of the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.[6] On 31 July 2019 he was promoted to General.[7]

Downfall

Further information: Anti-corruption campaign under Xi Jinping

In November 2023, Ding was put under investigation for a corruption case involving the construction of Beijing Xijiao Airport.[8] On December 4, he was dismissed from his position as a representative of the 14th National People's Congress on suspicion of "serious violations of discipline and law".[9][10][11]

References

  1. ^ "Star General Chang Dingqiu Takes Command of China's Air Force".
  2. ^ a b c "Ding Laihang" (in Chinese). National Chengchi University. 2015-07-19. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
  3. ^ a b You Ji (2012). "Meeting the Challenge of the Upcoming PLAAF Leadership Reshuffle". The Chinese Air Force: Evolving Concepts, Roles, and Capabilities (PDF). National Defense University Press. p. 225. ISBN 978-0-16-091386-0.
  4. ^ "丁来杭出任北部战区空军司令员，白文奇任政委". Thepaper.cn (in Chinese). 2016-02-06.
  5. ^ "中国空军新任司令员丁来杭寄语新飞行学员：争当制胜空天的新锐一代！". Sina. 2017-09-01. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
  6. ^ "List of members of the 19th CPC Central Committee". Xinhua News Agency. 2017-10-24. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017.
  7. ^ "10 Chinese officers promoted to rank of general- China.org.cn".
  8. ^ 人大任命新防長 採購弊案9將領被罷 前海軍司令董軍「破格」掌國防 火箭軍空軍3司令涉貪. mingpao.com (in Chinese). 30 December 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  9. ^ "China's legislature ousts nine military cadres as turmoil widens". japantimes.co.jp. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  10. ^ "China's Top Legislative Body Ousts Nine Senior Military Officers". caixinglobal.com. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  11. ^ Liu, Zhen (30 December 2023). "China removes 9 PLA generals from top legislature in sign of wider purge". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 9 February 2024.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Government.

Military offices Preceded byYu Changhai Commander of Fuzhou Forward Commanding Post 2003–2007 Succeeded byHuang Guoxian Preceded byYi Xiaoguang President of PLA Air Force Command College 2007–2008 Succeeded byMa Jian Preceded byZhou Laiqiang Commander of the Shenyang Military Region Air Force 2012–2016 Succeeded byPosition revoked New title Commander of Northern Theater Command Air Force 2016–2017 Succeeded byXu Xueqiang Preceded byMa Xiaotian Commander of People's Liberation Army Air Force 2017–2021 Succeeded byChang Dingqiu
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