Having watched the succession of leaders in the mainland of China,
another figure fades and another, takes the lead.
LB
China leader to run military arm
From correspondents in Beijing
September 19, 2004
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10813170%255E1702,00.html
CHINESE President Hu Jintao has succeeded Jiang Zemin as head of the
powerful military commission, the government said today, completing
China's first peaceful leadership transition since its 1949
revolution.
Jiang, whose term as head of the powerful military commission was to
have run until 2007, handed in his resignation during a meeting of the
ruling Communist Party's Central Committee, the official Xinhua News
Agency said in a brief dispatch.
The committee "approved Hu to take over the (Central Military
Commission) chairmanship after accepting Jiang's resignation", Xinhua
said.
Xu Caihou, 61, will replace Hu as deputy chairman, Xinhua said. In
1999, Xu was a vice-director in the People's Liberation Army.
Hu has long been expected to become chairman. Taking the post will
ensure Hu's status as the country's paramount leader, although he is
still surrounded by Jiang allies on the nine-member Standing
Committee, the party's highest echelon of power.
The four-day session of the Communist Party's 198-member Central
Committee began behind closed doors on Thursday and was to focus on
looking for ways to improve party governance.
Today's decision was a surprise to diplomats and political analysts
who didn't expect any major announcements from the four-day meeting.
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