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Chinese President Xi Jinping reviews troops stationed in Hong Kong on June 30. (Photo by Nozomu Ogawa)
Politics

Xi tells his troops: 'Call me chairman'

By resurrecting Mao's old title, China's leader wants to show his rivals who's boss

KATSUJI NAKAZAWA, Nikkei senior staff writer | China

TOKYO -- In a surprise gambit, Chinese President Xi Jinping has broken with a long-standing military tradition in a bid to strengthen his political position ahead of the Communist Party's leadership reshuffle later this year.

It happened when Xi, who doubles as the party's general secretary, paid a high-profile visit to Hong Kong for a ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of the former British colony's return to Chinese rule.

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