Xi Jinping promotes senior officers to top team of generals ahead of reforms
Promotions of six senior officers to rank of full general indicate president is consolidating his grip on military, analysts say
The chiefs of the Guangzhou and Nanjing military area commands were promoted to full generals yesterday, making them the two highest ranking commanders among China's seven military regions.
Military experts said the promotions that preceded today's 86th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army indicated President Xi Jinping was continuing to consolidate his grip over the military .
Cai Yingting, 59, chief of the Nanjing military region, and Xu Fenlin , commander of the Guangzhou Military Region, were awarded their ranks by Xi in his capacity as chairman of the PLA's Central Military Commission (CMC) at its head office in Beijing yesterday, the online edition of PLA Daily reported.
Cai and Xu were among six senior PLA officers promoted to full generals yesterday. The others were Wu Changde , deputy chief of the PLA General Political Department; Wang Hongyao, political commissar of the General Armament Department; Sun Sijing , political commissar of the Academy of Military Sciences; and Liu Fulian , political commissar of the Beijing Military Area Command.
The six generals are the second batch of senior PLA officers formally elevated by Xi since he became chief of the military chief late last year.
Xi promoted his first full general Wei Fenghe , commander of the Second Artillery Corps on November 23, 2013, just eight days after he succeeded Hu Jintao as CMC chairman.