Hu Jintao, chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, delivers an important speech at an enlarged meeting of the CPC Central Military Commission (CMC) held in Beijing Sept. 20, 2004.

The Chinese army has pledged their firm support to the new Central Military Commission (CMC) with Hu Jintao as chairman.

In their recent learning of the comm unique passed at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 16th CPC (Communist Party of China) Central Committee, the military said they would firmly support the decision on personnel change in the CMC passed at session.

They all agreed that since the 16th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Hu Jintao as general secretary has led the whole Party and the Chinese people well.

He has won the trust of the whole Party, the whole army and the whole Chinese people, said the military.

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee approved Hu Jintao to be CMC chairman after accepting Jiang Zemin's resignation.

Their decision is conducive to upholding the fundamental principle and system of the Party's absolute leadership over the military, and is also conducive to the strengthening of the military's modernization and regularization process.

Chinese President Hu Jintao(L)shakes hands with Jiang Zemin(R) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Sept.19, 2004.

The military agreed that they would firmly support the authority of the CPC Central Committee, the CMC and Chairman Hu, and firmly obey the order of the CPC Central Committee, the CMC and Chairman Hu.

They also praised Jiang Zemin's contributions to the Party, the state and the army. Jiang's resignation is a contribution of historic significance to the institutionalization of succession.

During the 15 years at the post of CMC chairman, Jiang has built upon Mao Zedong's military thought, Deng Xiaoping's ideas on military construction. Jiang established his own ideas on national defense and military construction.

Hu is an experienced military leader and will control the overall situation, said the army men.