PLA pledges loyalty to military leader-in-waiting
2.3 million-strong force pledges to resolutely follow orders of 'newly elected' CMC chairman
The People's Liberation Army has pledged its allegiance to the Communist Party's "newly elected" military chief, Xi Jinping, and shown its respect to fully retired former chief Hu Jintao.
The 2.3 million-strong force would resolutely listen to the orders of the party's Central Committee, its Central Military Commission (CMC) and CMC chairman Xi and unwaveringly uphold the party's absolute leadership of the army, a back-page article in yesterday's PLA Daily said.
The report lauded the country's achievements under Hu's leadership over the past decade.
"We salute comrade Hu Jintao, along with other leading cadres, who has just retired," it said on behalf of the army.
Unlike his predecessor, Jiang Zemin, Hu chose to give up the posts of party general secretary and chairman of its CMC, winning lavish applause for making way for the new leadership line-up, headed by Xi.
Jiang handed the party leadership to Hu in 2002 but, to the surprise of most observers at home and abroad, clung to the chairmanship of the CMC for another two years.