China military backs Hu's call for party control over PLA

Chinese President Hu Jintao on Friday got the backing of the country’s powerful military for his call to retain the supremacy of the Communist Party over the army, measures to speed up defence modernisation and the war against corruption.

Senior Generals of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) supported the keynote report by Hu at the opening of the 18th National Congress of Communist Party of China (CPC) saying that the principle of the Party’s absolute leadership over the armed forces must be unwaveringly adhered to.

Under Chinese administrative structure, the PLA is part of the CPC and virtually functioned under its command. Party officials rejected suggestion that the military should be separated from the Party like all over world bring it under the control of the government.

Hu’s report is a great achievement of the Party’s theoretical innovations and serves as a guide to action for completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, Gen Guo Boxiong, Vice Chairman of the China’s powerful Central Military Commission, said while speaking at a panel discussion of the Congress. Hu, who is general secretary of the CPC, is also the Chairman of the Commission which controlled the 2.3 million strong Chinese military.