Xi appoints new chief of China's nuclear arsenal

Reshuffle at top of Rocket Force comes day before anniversary of PLA founding

Military vehicles carrying DF-5B intercontinental ballistic missiles travel past Beijing's Tiananmen Square during the parade marking the 70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China in 2019. © Reuters

August 1, 2023 03:05 JST

BEIJING (Reuters) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping, also the military's commander-in-chief, on Monday appointed a new head of the armed force overseeing the nation's conventional -- and nuclear -- missiles, one day before the anniversary of the People's Liberation Army.

Wang Houbin, former deputy commander of the navy, was named the new head of the PLA Rocket Force, and Xu Xisheng its new political commissar, with both men acquiring the top rank of general, according to state media.