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Shi Jiangtao

Hu stresses party's 'absolute control of the armed forces'

In a show of unity, retired and current  mainland leaders made a rare joint public appearance  yesterday amid rampant speculation over the leadership reshuffle to be decided at  the Communist Party congress   to be held in the autumn.

President Hu Jintao  joined  former top leaders, including former party chief Jiang Zemin ,  at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to celebrate  the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army.

Mr Hu used the occasion to rally support for greater unity, both nationally and within the party, ahead of the key decisions to be made at the congress.

'A comprehensive plan concerning all undertakings of the party and the country will be made and tasks for the modernisation of national defence and the armed forces will also be specified at the congress,' Mr Hu said.

The gathering was the culmination of weeks of festivities and special events marking the PLA's anniversary.

Mr Hu made several statements  apparently designed to squash  growing suggestions that the military should owe its loyalty to the state rather than the ruling party.

In a 35-minute keynote speech,  Mr Hu reiterated the party's 'absolute control of the armed forces' and praised  the military's historic contribution to the country.

'The party's absolute leadership over the armed forces means that the PLA must follow the banner and the will of the party and earnestly fulfil all tasks assigned by the party,' he said.

'To follow the party's command is the overriding political requirement that the party and Chinese people have placed on the PLA.'

Mr Hu said the country was faced with 'unprecedented opportunities as well as unparalleled challenges', but did not elaborate.

He stressed the importance of pushing ahead with reforms and promoting homegrown military technologies in modernising the 2.3 million-strong army.

'Reform and innovation provide the engine of growth for the armed forces,' he said. 'It is the only way for us to gradually narrow the gap in military technologies and achieve modernisation of our armed forces.'

Mr Hu said  information technologies and the modernisation of weapons and equipment would ensure that the military's combat capabilities would be sufficient to win a modern war.

Some members of the international community have expressed concern over Beijing's ballooning military spending, which has seen double-digit annual growth for the past two decades except in 2003.

Mr Hu said the PLA would continue to help maintain world peace and promote common development. But he indicated that the defence budget, which hit a record 350 billion yuan this year, would continue to rise in the coming years.

'We must seek co-ordinated development in national defence and the economy.

'We will gradually increase input in national defence as the economy grows,' he said.

The appearance of Mr Jiang and former premiers Zhu Rongji  and Li Peng  among  other former leaders  was a well-planned move to demonstrate party unity and quell rumours of an intense power struggle ahead of the congress,  political analysts said.

It was probably the last public appearance for the retired leaders before the congress.

Mr Hu praised Mr Jiang  several times, saying his  'thinking on enhancing defence and military capabilities' was equal to that  of Mao Zedong  and Deng Xiaoping .

Looking much older than he did when he retired three years ago, Mr Jiang, who will turn 81 this month, appeared to be in a good mood yesterday though he repeatedly looked at his watch.

Apparently pleased by Mr Hu's compliments, Mr Jiang shook hands with his successor  twice towards the end of the meeting, which was broadcast live by state television.

Mr Jiang made another public appearance on Tuesday, praising a military exhibition which highlighted his contribution to the PLA's history.



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Hu Jintao

Show of unity as leaders gather to celebrate PLA