Why doesn't China promote new generals to celebrate the founding of its army?
Chinese President Xi Jinping broke with tradition and did not promote anyone to the rank of general on the occasion of the founding anniversary of the People's Liberation Army. Analysts said this was a sign of Beijing's new policy on personnel appointments.
Since late 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping has made it a tradition to announce the generals who will be promoted to the rank of general on the evening of August 1 every year, on the occasion of the founding anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). But this did not happen in 2018.
 |
| President Xi Jinping during the 2017 founding anniversary of the Chinese military. Photo: Xinhua |
Of the 30 people promoted to the rank of Senior General since Xi Jinping took power, 27 were officially announced on the evening of August 1st.
The South China Morning Post (Hong Kong, China) assessed that the unconventional developments in 2018 showed that in the coming time, President Xi Jinping will tend to use personnel based on needs and qualifications.
Hong Kong-based military observer Liang Guoliang commented: “Since reforming the armed forces, President Xi Jinping has promoted many young figures to the rank of General in the past five years. This move is also President Xi Jinping’s intention to inject new vitality into the Chinese armed forces.”
 |
| Chinese soldiers outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on August 1, 2017. Photo: Sputnik |
In 2017, President Xi Jinping promoted 140 people to Lieutenant General, Major General and Senior General.
Among those promoted to general in 2017 were Air Force Commander Ding Laihang and Navy Commander Shen Jinlong. Both were promoted while serving at the grassroots level. Previously, these positions usually went to deputies who worked at the central level.
Song Zhongping, a military commentator for Phoenix Television (Hong Kong, China), said President Xi Jinping is showing that he is not following traditional conventions of promotion, but instead prioritizing individuals with outstanding achievements, knowledge of modern warfare and “ready to perform tasks.”
In 2015, President Xi Jinping announced his intention to reform the armed forces. This resulted in 300,000 personnel being cut and seven commands being reduced to five.