|
||||||||
  |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jiang keeps grip on military
By Willy Wo-Lap Lam
HONG KONG, China (CNN) -- Chinese President Jiang Zemin is holding on to the powerful position as head of the Communist Party's Central Military Commission (CMC) for a period expected to be no more than two years. After selecting the members of the new Politburo and Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), the 16th party Central Committee announced on Friday the line-up of the CMC, the highest policy-setting organ of the People's Liberation Army. Except for Jiang, 76, all CMC members above the age of 70 have retired as a gesture of support for more rigorous retirement rules. Only four commission members have remained: Vice-President Hu Jintao, 59, who has been vice-chairman since 1999, and Generals Guo Boxiong, 60, Cao Gangchuan, 67, and Xu Caihou, 59. Generals Guo, an Executive Vice-Chief of Staff, and Cao, Head of the General Armaments Depart, have been promoted CMC vice-chairmen. New facesThere are three new faces on the CMC, Generals Liang Guanglie, Liao Xilong, and Li Jinai. While party General Secretary Hu is expected to take over the CMC leadership upon Jiang's retirement as CMC Chairman, Jiang's staying on is considered a step backward for rejuvenation and political reform. Although he has been CMC Vice-chairman for three years, Hu has been prevented by Jiang from handling sensitive decision-making matters relating to the PLA or the People's Armed Police.
Moreover, most senior military staff have since the late 1990s been personally selected and appointed by Jiang together with close aides such as Zeng Qinghong, who was elected a PSC member on Friday. RivalryPolitical analysts in Beijing said although he had given up his post of party chief and left the Politburo, Jiang still wanted to have a big say on military and foreign affairs, which are considered his forte. Moreover, there was heavy speculation that Jiang had set as a condition of his retirement Zeng's appointment as CMC vice-chairman. Hu, however, has expressed opposition because of the long-standing rivalry between the new party chief and the Jiang protégé. Among the newly inducted CMC members, only General Liao Xilong, veteran Commander of the Chengdu Military Region, has personal ties to Hu. Analysts say after he has become CMC chairman, it is likely that Hu will continue to rely on material incentives such as big budget boosts to secure the loyalty of the top brass.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
