China's military announce more top level changes

BEIJING (AP) - China has appointed a new army chief of staff and other top officers in the run-up to next month's national leadership transition as the nation attempts to professionalise the world's largest standing military.

The Defense Ministry announced Thursday that General Fang Fenghui is taking over as chief administrator of the People's Liberation Army who supervises recruiting, training, and other key functions.

The appointment puts Gen Fang, a former head of the military region that includes Beijing, firmly on track for a position on the Central Military Commission overseeing the 2.3 million-member PLA when the new lineup is announced at the Communist Party congress that begins Nov. 8.

The appointments were long anticipated as part of the shift to power under incoming party leader Xi Jinping, who, despite taking over the reins, is believed to have relatively little say in the naming of new military leaders.