(MENAFN- Gulf Times) DPA/Beijing
The Communist Party of China (CPC) will further consolidate its grip on power in January when it takes sole control of the People's Armed Police, experts said yesterday.
The paramilitary police force was formerly under the control of the State Council, China's cabinet, as well as the Central Military Commission, an organ of the CPC. As of January 1, it will be overseen only by the Central Military Commission, which is chaired by President Xi Jinping.
Zhang Lifan, an independent political commentator in Beijing, said the move would further weaken the State Council and move more power into the hands of the CPC.They are emphasising that the party leads everything, Zhang told DPA yesterday.
The move will also expand the personal power of Xi, who is the CPC general secretary, said Wu Qiang, an independent commentator and former professor at Tsinghua University's political science department.
Since taking office in 2012, Xi has exerted his personal influence over the Chinese political system at a scale not seen in decades. As the head of the People's Liberation Army, he has also initiated sweeping changes within the military.
'This is the final step of the military reform. It is continually centralising the military power to Xi, to build a disciplined army that pledges loyalty to him personally, to control the (People's Liberation Army) and armed police, Wu said. The move will also diminish the possibility of a government coup, as it deprives other senior leaders from accessing an armed unit, Zhang said.
The move may have been inspired by a rumoured attempted coup in 2012 led by now-imprisoned politician Zhou Yongkang, added Zhang, which allegedly led to a stand-off between the military and armed police. Changes to the paramilitary police were made at the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in November, although the state news agency Xinhua also reported on the move on Wednesday.
The 880,000-strong force's duties have primarily focused on internal security and stability, but will be expanded to include guard duty, emergency response and rescue, counter-terrorism, maritime rights protection and defensive combat, said the National People's Congress.
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