China has a new military secretary? Govt footage suggests so: Report

If reports are to be believed, China has a new military secretary who was a part of President Xi Jinping's recent inspection visits to the units of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). 

A report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on Saturday (Oct 26) said that Lieutenant General Fang Yongxiang- the apparent military secretary- was part of the group accompanying President Xi during his visit to an unspecified brigade of PLA's rocket force last week.

The footage released by state media

The report said that footage released by state media showed Lieutenant General Fang, 58, standing at arm’s length as Xi talked to several top commanders at the base.

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A close-up shot showed Fang along with General Zhang Youxia to be the only two generals next to the Chinese president for not wearing the rocket uniform.

But this is not the first time that Fang was seen with Xi.

The SCMP report said that Fang was seen by the president's side in state media footage of his visit in April to the Army Medical University in Chongqing.

Who is Fang Yongxiang?

Apart from being a Lieutenant General in the PLA, Fang is also an alternate member of the Communist Party’s Central Committee- which is China's top policy-making body.

Fang was born in Xiamen in 1966. The SCMP report said that his military career began in 1989. His career in Fujian overlapped Xi’s time thereby more than a decade.

The report added that Fang started as a platoon leader and a company commander at the 31st Group Army which oversees the Taiwan Strait and the East China Sea.

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He progressed through various leadership roles to become the 31st Group’s political director and then a member of its core leadership standing committee in 2014.

He also led political and party work at the Eastern Theatre Command from 2015 to 2017, before being named Communist Party chief of the 81st Group Army Unit.

In 2018, the 58-year-old was promoted to vice-minister at the newly set up Ministry for Veterans Affairs, a post he held until 2022.

Also in 2022, Fang was made political commissar of the Southern Theatre Command, which covers key regions including the South China Sea.

(With inputs from agencies)