What’s new: China unveiled new leadership for the missile force in charge of the country’s nuclear arsenal in a recent military shakeup.
Wang Houbin, the Navy’s former deputy commander, was named the head of the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, replacing Li Yuchao. Meanwhile, Xu Xisheng, the political commissar of Southern Theater Command, became the new political commissar of the rocket force, replacing Xu Zhongbo.
The appointments were revealed as Wang and Xu were promoted from lieutenant general to general — the highest rank in the military — at a ceremony Monday, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the ceremony in Beijing and conferred promotion certificates on the officers, Xinhua reported.
The context: The PLA Rocket Force, which is believed to be one of the world's largest missile forces, is responsible for China’s ballistic and cruise missiles and is a key part of the country’s nuclear deterrence strategy.
Neither Wang nor Xu previously served with the rocket force. Wang long served in the PLA Navy and was a senior officer in the East and South Sea fleets. He was appointed the Navy’s deputy commander in 2019. Xu spent most of his career in the Air Force, public information showed.
Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com) and editor Bob Simison (bob.simison@caixin.com)
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