BEIJING — China has reshuffled its military top brass in a move analysts said Nov. 5 was probably aimed at ensuring President Hu Jintao remains commander in chief of the military after a 10-yearly leadership change.
At a top Communist Party meeting Nov. 4, Hu oversaw the promotion of Gens. Fan Changlong and Xu Qiliang as vice chairmen of the powerful 12-member Central Military Commission (CMC), Xinhua news agency said.
Hu, the CMC chairman, is set to step down as head of the ruling party at a congress starting this week and will retire as national president in March as part of the leadership change.
But Willy Lam, a China politics expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said, “Hu Jintao would want to serve another five years (as CMC chief), particularly given the fact that he has to watch over his political protégés ... and protect his political legacy. As long as he is the CMC chief, he will still be the power behind the throne.”
Read the full story at DefenseNews