China's state press lavished praise on Chinese President Jiang Zemin (江澤民) modernization of the military yesterday, a day before the People's Liberation Army (PLA) was to celebrate its 75th anniversary.
All major newspapers printed an article singling out Jiang for full credit, adding weight to speculation he will stay on as military commander-in-chief even after the leadership changes that are due this fall.
"Comrade Jiang Zemin has stood at great heights and has seen far away distances as he has assured victory for the core of the entire [Communist] party central leadership," said the article, by the official Xinhua news agency.
"[He] has creatively advanced Mao Zedong's (
The article listed Jiang's achievements since being named military chief by Deng on Nov. 12, 1989, only months after the PLA crushed the Tiananmen Square democracy protests.
Calling Jiang's contribution to China's military modernization "undeniable," the article praised him for maintaining peace and stability in a turbulent and "complex" world.
Although it did not mention China's saber-rattling over Taiwan during the last 13 years, it warmly praised Jiang's role in orchestrating China's biggest-ever joint military exercises in the Taiwan Strait in 1995 and 1996.
These exercises "fully showed our strong determination and solemn position in safeguarding the unity of the motherland," it said.
RSS