China's Other Transition -- Dean Cheng, Foreign Policy
What we still don't know about the Chinese military.
Less than 10 days before the Chinese Communist Party convened the week-long 18th Party Congress on Nov. 8, where it will officially appoint its new generation of leaders, one of the Chinese military's top generals warned that the U.S. pivot to Asia was "interference" in China's affairs. That general, Ren Haiquan, who represented China at the region-wide Shangri-La forum in June, advises Chinese leaders on both political and foreign policy developments. The fact that he made such an aggressive comment in such a sensitive time highlights the importance of the PLA, whose own leadership transition follows that of the larger Chinese political turnover.
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My Comment: I expect Hu Jintao to retire in a year (if not sooner). The role of defense minister and foreign minister will be elevated. And .... U.S. - China relations will remain the same.
Update: Hu Jintao to step down as military chief