Former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin (江澤民) is to step down from his post as head of the armed forces today, completing a two-year transfer of power to his successor President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), Communist Party and diplomatic sources said yesterday.
The news came amid a four-day closed-door key meeting of the Communist Party Central Committee, attended by some 198 top party officials and hundreds of cadres.
The sources said there was a lot of pressure within the central committee for the 78-year-old military chief to retire, following in the footsteps of late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping (
They said the committee meeting, which ends today, would ratify his departure from the powerful post.
Hu is expected to be able to promote his political agenda of reforming the party more freely after the move.
"The theme of the plenum this week: Improving the governing abilities of the party, proved that Hu was well in control," said a diplomat.
Jiang stepped down as national president and secretary-general of the ruling Communist Party two years ago to make way for a new generation of leaders led by Hu, 61.
However the chairmanship of the Central Military Commission, arguably the most powerful body in the country's closed political system, gave Jiang immense power in areas such as security and foreign policy.
Most commentators have suggested Jiang would only likely step down from his last official post if his protege, Vice President Zeng Qinghong (
However, a diplomatic source said it was not certain Zeng would even be a member of the commission.
In Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post newspaper suggested Jiang could still wield influence even if he does resign his final post. It cited the example of Deng, who gave up all his official posts in 1989 but continued to hold power with no title for years.
"Mr Jiang's retirement is unlikely to produce any major changes in domestic or foreign policies," it said. "But as Mr Hu continues to consolidate his power and make his mark, subtle changes can be expected."
It quoted sources as saying that Hu's policies are expected to be more practical and flexible, particularly on China's foreign policy as well as its policies towards Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Rumors have swirled over a power struggle between Hu and Jiang in the days leading up to the central committee meeting and minimal information has been released to the public.
The secretive nature of the communist party meeting has made it impossible for analysts to make more informed predictions amid a flurry of rumors.
Just days ago, speculation was rife that Jiang was refusing to step down from the top military position, thus preventing Hu from wielding effective influence in his capacity as the nation's leader.
The China Youth Daily, a newspaper published by Hu's Communist Youth League power base, on Friday described the social situation as "urgent," saying if the party didn't move forward with the times it would risk social instability and losing credibility among the people.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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