Critics say his predecessor focused too much on wealth, not strength
The stage is set for China's transformation into a dominant military power with President Hu Jintao being handed control of the armed forces, analysts said yesterday.
One influential analyst said previous Central Military Commission chief Jiang Zemin had lost the support of senior military personnel because he was seen as lacking strategic vision and having focused on building wealth over power. However, 'Mr Hu will correct that', the analyst said.
Before Mr Jiang's tenure as armed forces chief, late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping centred the country's defence policy on peace and development during the 1980s. He not only reduced the size of the armed forces, but also allowed army units to branch out into commercial ventures.
This practice came to an end in 1999, but the sliding economic and social status of military personnel amid the period of reforms and opening up showed that the armed forces had been long neglected.
In the early 1990s, the hi-tech military equipment used in the Gulf War galvanised mainland military officials into modernising.
Mr Jiang emphasised improving information technology and the hardware needed in a high-tech war. The air force and missile division received the lion's share of resources, while the proud traditional infantry lacked funding.
