Another reshuffle has taken place in the PLA Navy with the announcement of three senior appointments, prompting speculation the move could be linked to strained cross-strait relations.
Navy general chief of staff Vice-Admiral Zhao Xingfa had been appointed deputy commander-in-chief, the Beijing-backed Wen Wei Po reported yesterday.
Vice-Admiral Zhao's former post was filled by his deputy, Rear Admiral Sun Jianguo, while another deputy, Rear Admiral Zhang Yongyi, became the navy's deputy commander-in-chief.
Vice-Admiral Zhao was commander of the navy's Qingdao base before becoming deputy general chief of staff.
Rear Admiral Sun, 53, a Hebei native, led the Chinese nuclear submarine Long March III in a 1985 long-distance cruise. Rear Admiral Zhang, 55, was involved in the handling of the collision between a US spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet near Hainan in 2001, the report noted. He was also commander-in-chief of the North China Sea fleet's air force.
According to the report, the navy's general chief of staff and deputy commander-in-chief are at the same level of seniority as a military region's deputy commander.