Special to WorldTribune.com

By Willy Lam, East-Asia-Intel.com

President Hu Jintao has underscored the imperative of developing a strong navy by directing the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) to “expand and deepen preparations for military struggle.”

The term “military struggle” is longstanding PLA shorthand for “winning regional warfare under high-tech conditions.”

Hu, who chairs the policy-setting Central Military Commission (CMC), was speaking at a meeting of the PLAN’s Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Congress earlier this week.

“We must develop with efficacy the superior tradition of our military forces and speed up the restructuring of the navy,” said Hu, who was accompanied by his heir-apparent, Vice President Xi Jinping, who doubles as CMC vice chairman.

As the CCP prepares for its pivotal 18th Congress scheduled for next October, top party leaders are courting the support of generals and admirals, who form one of the most powerful factions within the polity.

Hu, 69, who will next year yield the position of CCP general secretary to the 58-year-old Xi, is understood to want to hang on to his CMC chairmanship for a few more years beyond the 18th Party Congress.

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  18th Party Congress, Central Military Commission, Hu Jintao, Hu Jintao orders to PLA Navy: Upgrade readiness to prevail in regional warfare, People’s Liberation Army Navy, Xi Jinping