Xi Jinping ‘commander-in-chief’ of China military: Media

President Xi Jinping has assumed a new title of “commander-in-chief” of China’s new joint forces battle command centre, in his latest move to exert greater control over the world’s largest Army and consolidate his status as China’s most powerful leader in decades.

Sixty-two-year-old Xi is already general secretary of the ruling Communist Party and chairman of the Central Military Commission, which manages the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Mr Xi is now commander-in-chief of the military’s Joint Operations Command Centre, state media reported, showing him visiting the centre wearing camouflage fatigues.

The Xinhua news agency and the state broadcaster CCTV both carried reports referring to Mr Xi by the description for the first time after he visited the command centre on Wednesday.

“The current situation requires battle command to be highly strategic, coordinated, timely, professional and accurate,” Mr Xi said, urging staff at joint battle command centers at both CMC and theater command levels to bear in mind a sense of crisis and adapt to the strategic demands of national security.

Mr Xi told the officers to closely follow the trends of global military revolution and strive to build a joint battle command system.