National Office
Yang took over from Deng Xiaoping as PLA Chief-of-Staff in February 1980, joined the standing committee of the CCP Military Affairs Commission and was named a Vice Minister of National Defense a month later. He was a member of the 11th and 12th politburos, 1977-87.
Yang Dezhi was awarded the rank of General in 1955, and served as an Alternate Member of the 8th Central Committee (1956–69). He was elevated to full membership at the 9th CC in 1969 and retained that status through the 12th CC (1982–87), where he served as a Full Politburo member. General Yang also served on the CC Secretariat, February 1980-September 1982, and on the Military Affairs Committee, from 1980 to 1987. He was Vice Minister of National Defence during much of the 1980s.
General Yang Dezhi retired from his party and military posts in November 1987, together with Marshals Xu Xiangqian and Nie Rongzhen, Defense Minister Zhang Aiping and General Political Department Director Yu Qiuli. Yang is reported to have signed a plea to avoid using military force against demonstrators in Tiananmen Square in 1989, a letter to the MAC said to have been signed by seven retired military officers including Zhang Aiping, Xiao Ke, Chen Zaidao and Song Shilun.
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