Speaking on the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army before a gathering of past and present party leaders, China’s president says the armed forces must follow the party banner and obey the party’s orders.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Chinese President Hu Jintao reiterated yesterday at a meeting to mark the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) that the “Party's absolute leadership over the armed forces means that the PLA must follow the banner and the will of the Party, resolutely implement the Party's fundamental principles and earnestly fulfill all tasks assigned by the Party.”

The meeting, which comes a few months before the next party congress in October, brought together Communist leaders, past and present, to reaffirm the absolute subordination of the military to the party and show unity between the various generations of leaders who have held the helm of the party.

In his address China’s president also spoke about the rising military budget which will officially reach 350 million yuan this year and guarantee “national development in a period of important strategic opportunities, serv[ing] as a strategic underpinning for upholding national interests and play an important role in maintaining world peace and promoting common development” in Asia.

Mr Hu used the occasion to thank his predecessor Jiang Zemin several times for his contribution to the growth of the military in the country.

Jiang, who was present at the ceremony, was accompanied by Zhu Rongji and Li Peng (aka the butcher of Tiananmen Square) and visibly moved by the president’s words.

Various analysts have suggested that the current leadership is trying to show forcefulness in order to squash rumours according to which the party is in the midst of a power struggle in the period leading up to the next party congress which might see substantial changes in top personnel.

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