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Will Hu Jintao give up job as China's supreme military commander

Central News Agency

2012/10/20 22:54:52

Taipei, Oct. 20 (CNA) The Communist Party of China (CPC) is set to hold its 18th National Congress on Nov. 8 and to name Xi Jinping as its general secretary in place of Hu Jintao.

The question is whether Xi will also succeed Hu as chairman of the party's military commission or if Hu will keep that job for two more years as his predecessor Jiang Zemin did.

The position of supreme commander of China's huge military is considered essential for any CPC leader who wants to control the country.

This is evident by the fact that Deng Xiaoping was the de-facto leader of China from 1981 to 1989 while serving as chief of the CPC Military Commission, although he was neither the party’s general secretary nor president of the country at the time.

China's former President Jiang Zemin followed that precedent, keeping that job for two years and acting as a gray eminence after handing over the party’s general secretary position to Hu Jintao in 2002.

The Times of London and some other influential western media enterprises have reported that Hu is sure to follow suit by retaining the job for two more years to ensure that he maintains his following and his influence after he steps down as party chief.

However, two international news agencies, Reuters and AFP, said Hu is planning to give up all his posts in the party and government in early 2013, when Xi will succeed him as president of the country as long as Hu’s confidant Li Keqiang, who has been billed as the next premier, is named as vice chairman of the military commission, the news wires said.

But there are also reports that Hu, who is seen as not leaving much of a legacy, will be forced to give up all of his posts so that his successor can have a free hand to deal with the country's problems.

The reports said that as long as the U.S. keeps up its attempts to resume its dominance in Asia, Hu will have to leave his successor full power to handle crises such as China's sizzling territorial disputes with neighboring states in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.

By not hanging on his job as chief of military commission, Hu may also show that he is different from Jiang, who continued to chair the military commission two years after he relinquished the presidency, much to Hu's displeasure, the reports said.

If Hu does not hang on, it will set a healthy example for power transfer in China and Hu will earn a reputation as a leader who held the country's interests above his own, the reports said.

Meanwhile Internet users in China said that Xi, who holds Hu in high regard, has heeded the advice of the CPC Party School and asked Hu to remain as the country's supreme military commander.

The Internet users said Xi needs Hu to remain as chief of the military commission to deal with the current crises facing the country.

They mentioned in particular the power struggle between the leftists and the rightists within the party, which has intensified since the downfall of former Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai, and the fierce territorial disputes between China and its neighboring states.

These conflicting news reports indicate how greatly Hu's future position, as it pertains to the military commission, will affect China's political situation.

(By Charles Kang and Maubo Chang)