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Key promotions in PLA signal recognition of technocrats

Two of the PLA's rising stars have been named regional air force commanders - a sign that technocrats are coming to the fore as the military's modernisation continues.

A third regional air command has gone to the son of one of communist China's founding fathers who overcame punishment five years ago for the worst plane crash in recent PLA air force history.

Major General Zhang Jianping, 54, won promotion to air force commander of the Jinan military region, while Major General Yi Xiaoguang, 52, is the new air force commander in the Nanjing military region, the semi-official China News Service reported.

The promotions make them the youngest of the seven regional air force commanders. Both joined the air force while still in their teens, and both have outstanding merits and achievements. They took part in Sino-Russia anti-terrorism exercises in 2005 and 2009.

Zhang became, at 27, the youngest People's Liberation Army regimental commander and, at 36, the youngest aviation teacher in the air force. Yi was a command pilot and an all-weather flight instructor with flying capability in the Yunnan plateau. In his time off, he compiled an English-Chinese dictionary for Chinese pilots, which was released nationwide.

Military analyst Anthony Wong Dong, president of the International Military Association in Macau, said Zhang and Yi's promotions showed that outstanding professional and technically skilled officers now had more chance of promotion.

'The PLA air force has many talented men like Zhang and Yi, but it was rare for them to get a chance at promotion in the past,' Wong said.

'Since both men took part in anti-terrorism drills with Russia, their promotions will help the air force improve its international image and become a modern military force.'

The website of People's Daily meanwhile said Lieutenant General Jiang Jianzeng , formerly air force commander in the Nanjing military region, would succeed Jia Yongsheng as air force chief in Beijing, with Jia having reached the retirement age of 63. As air force commander, Jia had the rank of second-in-command overall of the Beijing military region. Officers of that rank must retire at 63; those in overall command of a military region may delay retirement until 65.

Jiang, 61, is the son of General Jiang Bo , one of the People's Republic's founding fathers.

Commanders of the Beijing military region are considered to have the highest seniority among the regional commands. Jiang's promotion was a surprise because he was one of 11 senior officials punished for the crash of an air force plane in the eastern province of Anhui in June 2006 which left 40 people dead.

Jiang was given a demerit by the army's top decision-maker - the Central Military Commission - after the disaster. However, just a month later he was promoted from major general to lieutenant general.

Zeng Zhiping , an expert in military law at the Nanchang Institute of Technology in Jiangxi , said disciplinary action had never been a big factor in whether or not military officers won promotion.

'A military leader's morality and loyalty to the party are top priorities when assessing their promotion. The others are just references,' Zeng said.

'In the 2006 crash, Jiang was given demerits because of his leadership responsibility as Nanjing air force commander. But he was not the commander on the front line.'

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