In his new capacity of chairman of the Central Military Commission, he elevated Jing Zhiyuan, commander of China's missile forces, to the rank of full general from his previous rank of lieutenant general, the Beijing News said.

Hu also promoted Vice Admiral Zhang Dingfa of China's naval forces to full admiral in a ceremony on Saturday, according to the newspaper.

Jing and Zhang were both made members of the all-powerful Central Military Commission last week, at the same time that Hu took over the chairmanship of the commission from former president Jiang Zemin.

Their promotion may reflect the growing importance of the naval and missile forces in China's strategies for the future, as opposed to the past when the army formed the core of the military.

Like Jiang, Hu has no military experience, and observers have said that he faces the same task as his predecessor of building a support base in the military via promotions.

Jiang was behind a long range of such promotions, most recently in June when he signed an order elevating 15 senior officials to the rank of general.

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