Xu Caihou, male, Han nationality, is a native of Wafangdian, Liaoning Province. He was born in 1943, joined the army in 1963, joined the CPC in 1971, and graduated from the Electronics Engineering Department of Harbin Institute of Military Engineering.
Xu spent his early career serving in the Jilin Provincial Military Area Command, with several assignments in Shenyang. In 1984 he became attached to the 16th Group Army. In the early 1990s he moved to Beijing, where he joined the military press and was subsequently appointed to senior positions in the PLA. In 2000 he was appointed to the CPC Central Military Commission.
He was a member of the Secretariat of the 16th CPC Central Committee, vice-chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, Director-General of the General Political Department of the PLA, secretary of the Discipline Inspection Committee of the Central Military Commission and deputy Party secretary of the PLA General Political Department.
He is currently a member of the 17th CPC Central Committee, Vice-Chairman of the 17th CPC Central Military Commission and Politburo Member of the 17th CPC Central Committee.
Xu was from the Communist Party of China (CPC) for bribery in June of 2014.