Deng Resigns as Military Chairman
Chinese senior leader Deng Xiaoping has resigned as chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission, his top remaining formal leadership post, a semi-official news agency reported Thursday.
Deng was replaced by his latest protege, Communist Party chief Jiang Zemin, in a personnel switch approved Thursday by a party Central Committee meeting in Beijing, the Hong Kong China News Agency said.
Deng, 85, has been seeking to retire from all his top positions to make way for a new generation of leaders centered around Jiang.
President Yang Shangkun, who reportedly had sought the chairmanship over Deng’s objections, was named first vice chairman of the commission, the report said.
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