Liu Yuan (politician)

Liu Yuan (born 1951) is a Chinese general and the political commissar of the Academy of Military Sciences of the People's Liberation Army.

Born in Beijing, he is the son of Liu Shaoqi, former President of China who had been heir apparent to Chairman Mao Zedong, but was politically purged and died during the Cultural Revolution. His mother is Wang Guangmei.

In 1985, he became the vice mayor of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province. He was promoted to vice governor of Henan in 1988. Since 1992, he had served in People's Armed Police for years. In 2003, he became the vice political commissar in PLA's General Logistics Department, and was made lieutenant general. He was appointed as political commissar of Academy of Military Sciences in 2005. On 20 July 2009, Liu was promoted to general.

He is a member of 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

In 2010, Liu wrote the preface to a friend's book titled Changing Our View of Culture and History, which has aroused notice for criticizing recent Party leadership and calls for the rejection of foreign models and a return to a supposed upright military heritage.

Some believe Liu is politically close to other “princelings”, especially Xi Jinping, the current CPC General Secretary. However, he has also had close ties to the disgraced "princeling" Bo Xilai, and this, coupled with Liu's outspokenness about corruption in the PLA, may have denied Liu a seat on the Central Military Commission.