Party Chief Succeeds Deng in Key China Military Post : Politics: But President Yang is generally seen as better positioned at present to become the paramount leader.

Communist Party chief Jiang Zemin was named Tuesday to the Chinese government’s top military post, another step meant to boost his status as the designated successor to paramount leader Deng Xiaoping.

The National People’s Congress, China’s legislature, voted nearly unanimously in approving Jiang, 63, to replace Deng as chairman of the state Central Military Commission. Deng, 85, officially stepped down from the post two weeks ago, and Jiang was the only candidate nominated to replace him.

Jiang had been expected to succeed Deng on the state commission ever since he replaced Deng as head of the Communist Party’s Central Military Commission last November. The state and party commissions, which usually have largely overlapping membership, are believed to function almost as a single body. The state commission sometimes has a ceremonial function, but much greater power is believed to lie with the party commission.

As general secretary of the party and chairman of both the state and party military commissions, Jiang holds the most powerful titles in China. It is widely agreed, however, that Deng, by virtue of his seniority, prestige and connections, is still China’s top leader and that President Yang Shangkun exercises greater real control over the army than does Jiang.

Yang, 82, an army general who is first vice chairman of the party military commission, thus is generally seen as more powerful than Jiang and better positioned to become Deng’s real successor should the senior leader die soon. Because of his age, however, Yang presumably would be a transitional figure.

Jiang, who has no military experience, was given the top military posts because he is Deng’s choice to head the successor generation of Chinese leaders.

A former mayor and party chief in Shanghai, Jiang is viewed as a technocrat and political hard-liner. He was named general secretary of the Communist Party last June, replacing the reformist Zhao Ziyang, who was ousted for refusing to endorse the use of troops to suppress a wave of student-led pro-democracy protests.

Jiang’s record largely reflects the key features of Deng’s formula for China’s modernization--support for openness to the world and moderate economic reforms, but continuation of an unyielding dictatorship by the Communist Party.

Seated among the ordinary delegates in the Great Hall of the People was a key Zhao ally, Hu Qili, 60, a former member of the Politburo Standing Committee who was once considered the favorite to succeed Zhao as party chief.

Hu, a reformist who remained loyal to Zhao during the political turmoil of last May and June, was ousted from his high posts along with Zhao but was allowed to remain a delegate to the National People’s Congress.

During Tuesday’s voting, with paper ballots, dozens of delegates caused a small stir by approaching Hu to get his autograph or have their pictures taken with him. It was a show of respect that some observers, including some diplomats, interpreted as critical of those leaders, including Deng, who ousted Hu and Zhao.

Hu then left early during a break in the session. As he departed through the lobby, a reporter commented to him that many people had wanted his autograph.

“I don’t know why,” Hu replied, speaking in fluent English and laughing, but showing apparent embarrassment.

Asked whether he has had any work to do since last June, other than serving as a delegate to the National People’s Congress, Hu replied: “Up to now, no.”

Asked whether he has hopes of being assigned work, he laughed again and said, “No answer.”

“It’s not up to myself,” he added.