On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also the military’s commander-in-chief, appointed a new chief to oversee both conventional and nuclear missiles in the armed forces, known as the PLA Rocket Force.
Wang Houbin, previously the deputy commander of the navy, was named as the new head of the PLA Rocket Force, while Xu Xisheng became its new political commissar. Both men were promoted to the rank of general.
The change in leadership occurred one day before the 96th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
China maintains a defensive nuclear strategy, vowing not to use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states or nuclear weapon-free zones.
