Hu Jintao strengthens military hand

Beijing-backed Hong Kong daily Wen Wei Po said President Hu Jintao conducted his first big military reshuffle, shifting Lieutenant-General Liu Yongzhi from political commissar, Lanzhou Military Region, to deputy director of the PLA's General Political Department and replacing Liu with Lieutenant-General Yu Linxiang, 59, currently political commissar, Xinjiang Military Region. Among other changes, Hu promoted 49-year-old Li Keqiang , who worked for the Communist Youth League, his old power base, to party secretary of Liaoning province. With many forces retirements coming up, Hu, who assumed his commander in chief role only three months ago, is expected to strengthen his hand even further with a fresh round of new appointments.