Naval leaders removed from posts

The
commander of China's navy, Admiral Shi Yunsheng, and its political commissar, Admiral
Yang Huaiqing, have been removed from their posts, Xinhua reported. They have been
replaced by, respectively, Vice-Admiral Zhang Dingfa, who was appointed director of the
Academy of Naval Science last year, and Vice-Admiral Mu Yanlin.
Admiral Shi served as
commander since 1996 and Admiral Yang as commissar since
1995, South China
Morning Post reported. Military analysts cited by the newspaper suggested that the
changes were linked to the deaths of the crew of a Chinese Ming-class submarine earlier
this year.