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Beijing replaces top military leaders

China has replaced the head of its air force and other top military leaders ahead of an important Communist Party congress next month at which President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) is expected to fill several top posts with younger leaders loyal to his rule.

Lieutenant General Xu Qiliang (許其亮), a former deputy chief of the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) general staff, has taken over from General Qiao Qingchen (喬清晨) as head of the PLA Air Force, the official China Daily newspaper said yesterday.

Other appointments included the heads of five of seven main military regions, including the one surrounding Beijing and the Nanjing Military District tasked with making war preparations against Taiwan, the Xinhua news agency Web site said.

Yesterday's report came just days after China publicized the appointment of a new chief of general staff in charge of day-to-day operations for its 2.3 million-member armed forces, the world's largest standing military.

It was not clear exactly when any of the new appointments were made, although some of the military region commanders may have been changed as early as June, analysts said. Few of the appointments have been formally announced, in a process that has been unusually quiet even for the secretive PLA.

Hu, who is also party leader and head of the 11-member commission that exercises ultimate control over the military, has been maneuvering quietly to place allies in key positions ahead of the congress starting on Oct. 15.

Hu has also increased the representation of the air force, navy and other services in top government and party bodies, sometimes at the expense of the traditionally dominant ground forces.
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