New Military Leadership in China

　　Hu Jintao (sixth from right), Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the Communist Party of China (CPC), and Jiang Zemin (sixth from left) pose with other members of the CMC.

　　Hu succeeded Jiang as China’s top military leader at the Fourth Plenum of the 16th CPC Central Committee, held September 16-19 in Beijing.

　　The plenum accepted the resignation of 78-year-old Jiang from the top military post, which he had held for 15 years, and approved Hu to take over. Meanwhile, Xu Caihou, 61, succeeded Hu as the CMC’s vice chairman.

　　The CMC has been enlarged, with four additional members, Chen Bingde, Qiao Qingchen, Zhang Dingfa and Jing Zhiyuan. Analysts say that the CMC’s enlargement, with new members from different armed services, is in compliance with the new situation around the world and will contribute to the Chinese military development.