China reshuffles its top military ranks October 24, 2012 - 13:55 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - China reshuffled its top military ranks weeks before a once-in-a-decade generational leadership change which sources said would see the outgoing air force commander promoted to vice-chairman of the military's top decision-making body. General Ma Xiaotian, 63, was named air force commander, replacing General Xu Qiliang, 62, state broadcaster CCTV said, according to Reuters. Ma has been one of the secretive military's most visible faces, speaking at forums overseas and leading talks with U.S. defense officials aimed at building trust between the world's two largest economies. The report did not say what would happen to Xu. But three independent sources with ties to the top leadership and the People's Liberation Army said Xu was tipped to be named one of two vice-chairmen of the powerful Central Military Commission. The government generally does not comment on elite politics and personnel changes before the official announcement. Partner news  Top stories Only three senators on the committee - Republican Ron Paul and Democrats Tom Udall and Chris Murphy - opposed the bill. If true, the exclusion of Rafsanjani and Mashaie would leave the presidential race dominated by hardline conservatives. Amy Elliott, chief administrative officer of the Oklahoma medical examiner's office, said 51 were confirmed dead. An Islamist insurgency, once confined largely to the republic of Chechnya, has spread across the North Caucasus in recent years.   Partner news |  Latest news Russian expert rules out Karabakh war renewal by Armenia  Alexander Krylov: the possibility of the renewal of Karabakh war should not be exaggerated in the face of the balance of power.German scientists ready to include Armenian petroglyphs in UNESCO list The scientists conducted a survey of ancient rock art, with a database of Armenian petroglyphs to be later developed.OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs won’t visit Artsakh French Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Jacques Faure said the co-chairs are not planning a visit to Nagorno Karabakh.Penguin reaches $75mln agreement in iBooks price fixing lawsuit In a press release, Penguin's parent company, Pearson, noted it had made a $40 million provision for settlement in its 2012 accounts. |
