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Saturday 2 January 2010
Princelings no longer confined to the party
Reshuffles in the ranks of the People’s Liberation Army have given rise to a new phenomenon - the “princeling generals” - with the latest to be promoted a son of a former head of the military.
Reshuffles in the ranks of the People’s Liberation Army have given rise to a new phenomenon - the “princeling generals” - with the latest to be promoted a son of a former head of the military.
General Zhang Haiyang has been made the political commissar of the Second Artillery Corps - China’s strategic missile force - the People’s Daily reported yesterday.
The promotion, five months after Zhang was raised to full general from lieutenant general, makes him a possible candidate for a seat on the Central Military Commission - China’s supreme command - in the next party leadership reshuffle in 2012.
Zhang’s promotion is not the first for a so-called princeling general. President Hu Jintao has promoted three officers, including Zhang, to full general this year. All are the children of former party leaders.
Observers have noted Hu’s apparent penchant for picking the next generation’s leaders from the powerful clique of “princelings” - the offspring of prominent party leaders. But until recently the phenomenon has been most notable in civilian power circles.
Zhang is the third son of retired general Zhang Zhen, who, under then president Jiang Zemin, was a vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission between 1992 and 1997. His father-in-law, Sun Keji , was formerly deputy political commissar of the Nanjing military region. His father played a key role in helping Jiang secure absolute control of the army in the early days of the former president’s rise to power.
Until his promotion Zhang Haiyang had been the political commissar of the Chengdu military region. The Second Artillery Corps controls China’s nuclear and conventional strategic missiles and is considered the most powerful and professional unit in the PLA.
Zhang, 60, is considered relatively young among top brass in the military. He is also one of the few PLA generals with battle experience, having fought in the Sino-Vietnamese war in the late 1970s and mid-1980s. He was also widely praised for his performance following the Sichuan earthquake last May and crackdowns on rioting in the southwestern province and in Tibet earlier that year.
These, together with his powerful family connections, make Zhang a rising star in the military.
The promotion was widely reported by state media, which highlighted his father’s prominent place in the army. The People’s Daily website said Zhang and his father “are the PLA’s first father and son generals”.
“You cannot ignore his own contributions just because of his princeling background, but there is a trend that future important military roles will be taken over by the second or third generation [offspring of prominent officials],” said Macau-based military commentator Antony Wong.
The others raised to full general are Liu Yuan - the son of former party chairman Liu Shaoqi, and Ma Xiaotian, the son of a deputy chief of general staff headquarters. Liu Shaoqi was a founding father of the People’s Republic and a one-time heir to Mao Zedong.
Ma’s father-in-law was also a senior PLA official in the military’s disciplinary department.
Zhang joined the army in 1969 at the age of 19. He was promoted to lieutenant general in 2003 and became a member of the party’s powerful Central Committee in 2007.
He fought in the Sino-Vietnamese war in 1979 and again in border conflicts in 1986. He also distinguished himself in leading his troops in disaster relief work after the Sichuan and Yunnan earthquakes last year.
There has been speculation that in 2012, Zhang will join the party’s Central Military Commission, which commands the entire armed forces. He is most likely to succeed Li Jinai, the director of the general political department which oversees political work in the army and ensures its absolute loyalty to the party.
Retired PLA general Xu Guangyu said that although Zhang is a possible candidate, a commission place is not guaranteed because he was not appointed commander of the Second Artillery Corps.
2 comments:
Princelings no longer confined to the party
Verna Yu
Updated on Dec 31, 2009
Reshuffles in the ranks of the People’s Liberation Army have given rise to a new phenomenon - the “princeling generals” - with the latest to be promoted a son of a former head of the military.
General Zhang Haiyang has been made the political commissar of the Second Artillery Corps - China’s strategic missile force - the People’s Daily reported yesterday.
The promotion, five months after Zhang was raised to full general from lieutenant general, makes him a possible candidate for a seat on the Central Military Commission - China’s supreme command - in the next party leadership reshuffle in 2012.
Zhang’s promotion is not the first for a so-called princeling general. President Hu Jintao has promoted three officers, including Zhang, to full general this year. All are the children of former party leaders.
Observers have noted Hu’s apparent penchant for picking the next generation’s leaders from the powerful clique of “princelings” - the offspring of prominent party leaders. But until recently the phenomenon has been most notable in civilian power circles.
Zhang is the third son of retired general Zhang Zhen, who, under then president Jiang Zemin, was a vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission between 1992 and 1997. His father-in-law, Sun Keji , was formerly deputy political commissar of the Nanjing military region. His father played a key role in helping Jiang secure absolute control of the army in the early days of the former president’s rise to power.
Until his promotion Zhang Haiyang had been the political commissar of the Chengdu military region. The Second Artillery Corps controls China’s nuclear and conventional strategic missiles and is considered the most powerful and professional unit in the PLA.
Zhang, 60, is considered relatively young among top brass in the military. He is also one of the few PLA generals with battle experience, having fought in the Sino-Vietnamese war in the late 1970s and mid-1980s. He was also widely praised for his performance following the Sichuan earthquake last May and crackdowns on rioting in the southwestern province and in Tibet earlier that year.
These, together with his powerful family connections, make Zhang a rising star in the military.
The promotion was widely reported by state media, which highlighted his father’s prominent place in the army. The People’s Daily website said Zhang and his father “are the PLA’s first father and son generals”.
“You cannot ignore his own contributions just because of his princeling background, but there is a trend that future important military roles will be taken over by the second or third generation [offspring of prominent officials],” said Macau-based military commentator Antony Wong.
The others raised to full general are Liu Yuan - the son of former party chairman Liu Shaoqi, and Ma Xiaotian, the son of a deputy chief of general staff headquarters. Liu Shaoqi was a founding father of the People’s Republic and a one-time heir to Mao Zedong.
Ma’s father-in-law was also a senior PLA official in the military’s disciplinary department.
Zhang joined the army in 1969 at the age of 19. He was promoted to lieutenant general in 2003 and became a member of the party’s powerful Central Committee in 2007.
He fought in the Sino-Vietnamese war in 1979 and again in border conflicts in 1986. He also distinguished himself in leading his troops in disaster relief work after the Sichuan and Yunnan earthquakes last year.
There has been speculation that in 2012, Zhang will join the party’s Central Military Commission, which commands the entire armed forces. He is most likely to succeed Li Jinai, the director of the general political department which oversees political work in the army and ensures its absolute loyalty to the party.
Retired PLA general Xu Guangyu said that although Zhang is a possible candidate, a commission place is not guaranteed because he was not appointed commander of the Second Artillery Corps.
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