In 1992, Deng Xiaoping nominated Liu Huaqing, then 76, as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.

In 1992, during the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, Deng Xiaoping and Liu Huaqing shook hands cordially

On the eve of the 14th Party Congress, Deng Xiaoping had been paying close attention to the progress of the preparations for the congress. From the high plane of always maintaining the nature of the people's army, he gave profound thoughts on army building in the new period.

On October 6, 1992, Deng Xiaoping wrote a letter to the Politburo. In his letter, he put forward a specific plan for the new leading body of the Central Military Commission, including the nomination of Liu Huaqing as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, which was fully endorsed by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

In the future, comrades Liu Huaqing and Zhang Zhen will mainly be in charge of the daily work of the Central Military Commission under the leadership of Comrade Jiang Zemin. As far as I know, Comrades Liu Huaqing and Zhang Zhen are most familiar with the army. The future selection of successors will require people familiar with the military to take responsibility. Deng Xiaoping said in a letter to the Politburo. This stems from Deng Xiaoping's decades-long understanding of Liu Huaqing and Zhang Zhen.

For Liu Huaqing, Deng Xiaoping was familiar with it earlier. Liu Huaqing threw himself into the revolution at the age of 13, experienced hundreds of battles, and died nine times in his life. At the headquarters of the 129th Division at the beginning of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he had the honor of living and fighting with Liu Bocheng and Deng Xiaoping for an unforgettable period of time.

In the decades since, Liu Huaqing has gradually grown from a front-line force to a senior general in the People's Liberation Army, but he did not have much contact with Deng Xiaoping. After the reform and opening up, Liu Huaqingcai resumed his post in the General Staff Under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping. During his tenure as assistant chief of the general staff and deputy chief of the general staff, his work was highly recognized by Deng Xiaoping.

In October 1987, the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of China was held. Liu Huaqing, then commander of the Navy, was re-elected to the Central Advisory Committee. During his term as commander of the Navy, Liu Huaqing went deep into the investigation and study of the troops, conscientiously resolved the problems existing in the development of the Navy, and made the construction of the Chinese Navy leap to a new level in great strides.

At this time, the 71-year-old Liu Hua was ready to retire early in the morning. "I thought that my career in this life would come to an end, but I unexpectedly entered the organs of the Central Military Commission." He was appointed general by Deng Xiaoping as deputy secretary general of the Central Military Commission. When Liu Huaqing heard the news, he was greatly surprised. Deng Xiaoping instructed him: "The reason why you were transferred to work at the Central Military Commission is to take into account the need for modernization of the army, and now you are the only one who is familiar with scientific research and equipment in the whole army." To transfer you is to grasp the equipment and grasp the modernization. "Liu Huaqing and the development of weapons and equipment have an indissoluble relationship. Beginning in the early 1960s, he left the Navy to serve as president of the Seventh Research Institute of the Ministry of National Defense, where he participated in organizing and leading the development and decision-making of various weapons and equipment.

In the new historical period, Liu Huaqing lived up to the great trust of the Central Military Commission and Deng Xiaoping. After taking up his post at the Central Military Commission, he conducted in-depth investigations, pooled wisdom, and determined development plans and specific implementation plans, which soon opened up a new situation in the development of weapons and equipment. At the same time, he also demanded that on the basis of "taking me as the mainstay," we should learn from foreign military technology and "fully absorb and utilize it to speed up the speed of advance," thus enabling the construction of weapons and equipment of the Chinese army to embark on a benign development path. At the same time, Liu Huaqing also actively assisted the principal leaders of the Central Military Commission in doing a good job in speeding up and deepening the reform of the armed forces.

From November 6 to 9, 1989, Liu Huaqing attended the Fifth Plenary Session of the 13th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China as a member of the Central Advisory Committee. At the meeting, Deng Xiaoping's talking points with Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, Yang Shangkun, Wan Li, and others on the morning of 4 September were printed and distributed. This material explains: Deng Xiaoping took the initiative to resign as chairman of the Central Military Commission; nominated Jiang Zemin as chairman of the Central Military Commission, Yang Shangkun as first vice chairman, Liu Huaqing as vice chairman, and Yang Baibing as secretary general. After reading the materials, Liu Huaqing was deeply surprised and had a heavy responsibility, and was worried that he would not be able to do so, so he immediately called Wang Ruilin, director of Deng Xiaoping's office, and asked him to report to Comrade Xiaoping: "It is better to choose someone else." Wang Ruilin replied: "Chairman Deng has decided that it will not change." ”

Deng Xiaoping's attitude was originally very clear: "Liu Huaqing is in good health and has a relatively wide range of knowledge; after liberation, he has been engaged in national defense industry and scientific and technological equipment, and has studied in the Soviet Union for several years." He understands science, has participated in satellites and missiles, and is Comrade Rongzhen's main assistant. I am afraid that it is better to choose such an individual to be the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission than to just look at the qualifications. The majority of the veteran cadres in our army are the four fronts, and this vice chairman must be the four fronts. Liu Huaqing is a member of the Four Fronts Army, and to some extent he is relatively young and strong, has good health, and can listen to the party's words. Of course, there are many people who listen to the party's words, but he has several conditions. ”

Three years later, at the First Plenary Session of the 14th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in October 1992, Liu Huaqing was elected to the Politburo Standing Committee. As a 76-year-old member of the Central Advisory Committee, entering the new central leadership collective group is something that Liu Huaqing never dreamed of. This was also a far-sighted arrangement made by Deng Xiaoping before the meeting with an eye on the country's long-term peace and stability. Liu Huaqing recalled: "This is the cultivation of the party, and it is also inseparable from Comrade Xiaoping's teaching and trust in me. ”

——Excerpted from "Party History Bocai", No. 426