China Holds Military Parade To Commemorate End Of World War II In Asia (Photo : Getty Images)
Chinese President Xi Jinping just added on Wednesday one more to his three current titles. He is the commander-in-chief of the PLA’s Joint Battle Command.
Along with the title came a new camouflage uniform that he wore, reported The South China Morning Post. Besides being president, Xi is also the general secretary of the Communist Party of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC).
He used the uniform when Xi inspected the command center. But the announcement of the new title and display of new outfit was not just for Chinese to know. It also was a message to the world that “he is top commander of the PLA’s supreme joint battle command body, which was set up to meet today’s modern warfare demands, and is capable of commanding land, navy and air force, as well as other special troops like the Rocket Force and Strategic Support Force,” said Xu Guangyu, a retired PL major general.
It was not just Xi who was wearing the new uniform but also other CMC members and senior officials who took part in the battle commanders’ meeting. During the gathering, commanders from the north, south, east, west and central theatre commands – all newly established – reported to their new commander-in-chief about their combat forces using video links.
Liang Guoliang, a defense expert based in Hong Kong, compared the new title of Xi to the position of the American president as commander in chief of the U.S. Armed Forces. He pointed out that while the CMC is a leading organization, it is not the command body during wartime.
BBC noted that with Xi consolidating power in China, his move of adding a new title and a uniform could be viewed as another propaganda message that he is in absolute control over the Asian giant.
