BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping, who also chairs the Central Military Commission (CMC), attended a ceremony in Beijing on Friday to promote two senior military officers to the rank of general, the highest rank for officers on active duty in China. The officers are Zhang Shuguang, secretary of the CMC discipline inspection commission and director of the CMC commission of supervision, and Wang Gang, commander of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, state media reported. China has been undergoing a years-long anti-corruption campaign, initiated by Xi, that has seen scores of senior officials and top generals investigated, removed and purged. That crackdown has reduced China's seven-man supreme military command body to just two people - CMC chair Xi himself and newly promoted vice chairman Zhang Shengmin. At a ceremony this week marking the ruling Communist Party's 105th anniversary, Zhang Shuguang and Wang Gang were seen seated alongside other top military leaders, fueling speculation about their possible promotion in the PLA leadership. The current CMC lineup was named in October 2022 and is expected to be replaced or renewed after the Communist Party's next five-yearly congress, which is likely to take place in autumn 2027.
China promotes two military officers to full general's rank
President Xi Jinping has elevated two senior military officers, Zhang Shuguang and Wang Gang, to the rank of general. This move comes amidst China's ongoing anti-corruption drive, which has significantly thinned the ranks of top military brass. The promotions fuel speculation about future leadership changes within the People's Liberation Army, with the current Central Military Commission expected to be reshuffled after the next Communist Party congress in 2027.
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