BEIJING
\nChina\u2019s military promoted two officers to the rank of general in what may be a precursor to a reorganization at the top following the removal of several of its leaders in a long-running anti-corruption drive.
\nThe shake-up is believed to be part of an effort to reform the military and ensure its loyalty to China\u2019s ruling Communist Party and the nation\u2019s leader, Xi Jinping. It comes as Xi seeks to accelerate the modernization of the armed forces to stake out and defend China\u2019s interests in the Pacific, including Taiwan and other territorial claims.
\nXi, who is also head of the military, presented orders promoting Zhang Shuguang and air force commander Wang Gang to generals at a ceremony Friday. Zhang was also named the head of the division investigating corruption at the Central Military Commission, the military\u2019s top body.
\nThe promotions could put them in line to fill vacancies on the seven-member commission, which has been effectively reduced to two by the corruption investigations. Zhang in particular looks like a leading candidate, analysts said. The case for Wang is less clear, as two other air force officers \u2014 the commanders of China\u2019s Central and Eastern Theaters \u2014 were promoted to general in the People\u2019s Liberation Army, or PLA, in December.
\n\u201cWang Gang is part of a new generation of PLA Air Force elites with hard operational experience who have been delegated important roles in the Chinese military since the latest round of purges,\u201d said James Char, an assistant professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
\nThe commission is chaired by Xi. Its only other active member is Vice Chair Zhang Shengmin. Two former vice chairs, including the military\u2019s top general, have been removed or effectively removed.The purges have dismantled the two main factions in the military, giving Xi a cleaner slate to choose future leaders, Char said.
\nAt the same time, the fact that only four lieutenant generals have been elevated to general suggests that Xi is not in a hurry to reshuffle the leadership, said K. Tristan Tang, a nonresident fellow at the US-based National Bureau of Asian Research.
\n\u201cHe is still watching, testing, and vetting these senior PLA lieutenant generals,\u201d Tang said.A new Central Military Commission is expected to be announced at the next Communist Party Congress in the fall of next year, when the current commission\u2019s five-year term ends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BEIJING China\u2019s military promoted two officers to the rank of general in what may be a precursor to a reorganization at the top following the removal of several of its leaders in a long-running anti-corruption drive. The shake-up is believed to be part of an effort to reform the military and ensure its loyalty to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":554802,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-554791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n