China appointed a former missile force commander as its new defense minister amid lingering concerns over the goals of its rapid military modernization.
Lt. Gen. Wei Fenghe’s naming as the international face of China’s military was among a series of appointments by the ceremonial legislature on the penultimate day of its annual session.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi was reappointed as China’s top diplomat and also promoted to state counselor, while Zhao Kezhi was confirmed as minister of public security in charge of the police.
Chen Wenqing, a former top official in the ruling Communist Party’s graft-busting agency, remains minister of state security responsible for espionage and counterintelligence.
China has increasingly been deploying its intelligence agencies overseas to track down those accused of high- level corruption, along with other perceived regime opponents and critics who have moved abroad.
As defense minister, Wei is outranked by President Xi Jinping, who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission, and two vice chairmen, but will be the main interface between China’s 2 million-member armed forces and the rest of the world’s militaries.
China’s increased its military budget by 8.1 percent this year to about USD173 billion, making it again the world’s second-largest behind the U.S.
Wei was named head of the 2nd Artillery in 2012, then remained head of the missile command after it was renamed the Rocket Force in 2016 amid a reorganization of military units.
The head of the U.S. Strategic Command considers China’s ballistic missile program the world’s “most active and diverse.” It includes a range of short- and intermediate-range missile aimed at Taiwan, as well as road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles targeting the U.S. and its allies.
Most of China’s growing conventional and nuclear warhead-tipped missiles are of the type prohibited by the U.S.-Russian Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. That has led to calls in both Moscow and Washington for a reassessment of the treaty to deal with a potential threat from China and others.
China’s Cabinet is headed by Premier Li Keqiang, the No. 2 leader of the ruling Communist Party, who was reappointed to a second five-year term by the legislature on Sunday.
The vote came a day after party leader Xi Jinping was reappointed China’s president with no limits on how many terms he can serve.
The legislature also approved the appointment of Yang Xiaodu as director for the National Supervisory Commission, created from a merger of the party’s internal anti-graft watchdog with one that oversees civil servants. It will have the power to detain suspects for up to six months without seeking court approval.
A marathon anti-corruption campaign led by Xi has snared thousands of government officials and managers of state companies.
Xi has been steadily tightening central control over the government and state industry while also stepping up efforts to crush dissent.
On Saturday, a key Xi ally, Wang Qishan, was appointed to the previously ceremonial post of vice president. AP
The other men (and one woman) filling top posts
The new cabinet announced yesterday by China is the culmination of months of leadership reshuffles that saw President Xi Jinping assert his dominance over policy making.
The lineup includes recently promoted Communist Party leaders, veteran ministers and a few new faces. While many investors will be focused on changes to China’s economic and financial regulators, several other key officials will also shape the country’s policies over the next five years.
Here are some notable appointments:
Han Zheng, 63, Executive Vice Premier
Han Zheng’s move into the executive vice premier’s slot comes as little surprise after his rise to the party’s supreme Politburo Standing Committee in October. While his portfolio has yet to be announced, he’ll share responsibilities with Premier Li Keqiang running the State Council and likely serve a diplomatic role, seen by his attendance at the Winter Olympics in South Korea. Han previously spent more than three decades in Shanghai overseeing the former colony’s transformation into a top financial hub.
Hu Chunhua, 54, Vice Premier
Once seen as a leading presidential contender, Hu Chunhua’s political prospects dimmed after Xi declined to promote him to the Standing Committee last year. Still, Hu’s appointment as vice premier provides the former Guangdong provincial party chief with a key perch to influence policy-making for the next five years. Moreover, the South China Morning Post newspaper reported that Hu would be tasked with completing Xi’s pledge to lift more than 55 million people out of poverty by the end of the decade.
Sun Chunlan, 67, Vice Premier
Sun Chunlan replaces outgoing Vice Premier Liu Yandong as the only woman occupying a top government post in China. With a mechanics degree from Anshan Industrial Technology Academy in Liaoning, she started working at a local watch factory before taking on political jobs in the northeastern province. Sun was most recently tasked with running the United Front Work Department, an agency that oversees outreach beyond the party hierarchy.
Yang Xiaodu, 64, Anti-Graft Director
Yang Xiaodu – a leader of Xi’s signature anti-corruption campaign since 2014 – will now oversee its expansion to include millions of other public servants, from state-run company executives to hospital managers and school principals. As the first director of the new National Supervisory Commission, he’ll have wide powers to detain and investigate officials for legal and ethical violations. Yang’s stint on Shanghai’s top party committee overlapped with Xi’s tenure leading the municipality in 2007.
Wang Yi, 64, Foreign Minister
Wang Yi’s reappointment as foreign minister while also being promoted to state councilor keeps one of China’s most visible advocates on the international stage. The veteran diplomat – whose resume includes experience managing often-fraught relationships with Japan and Taiwan – represents continuity at a time of rising trade tensions with the U.S. Wang’s “suspension for suspension” proposal for restoring talks helped establish the basic framework for President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with Kim Jong Un.
He Lifeng, 63, Reform Commission Chairman
He Lifeng’s return as head of the National Development and Reform Commission – China’s state planning body – brings stability as Xi implements a sweeping reorganization. The agency lost some responsibilities, including environmental and agricultural policy making, to other ministries. His ties with Xi date back to the mid-1980s, when Xi was deputy mayor of the southeastern port of Xiamen and He was in charge o fiscal affairs. He was among a handful of guests invited to the low-key wedding between Xi and People’s Liberation Army singer Peng Liyuan.
Li Ganjie, 53, Environment Minister
Li Ganjie, who became environmental minister in June, will wield new powers to rein in carbon emissions and fight climate change under a government shake-up announced last week. The new Ministry of Ecology & Environment will be among the agencies spearheading Xi’s “critical battle” against polluted air, soil and water – key concerns among China’s growing middle class. Li was previously vice minister and head of the National Nuclear Safety Administration. MDT/Bloomberg
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