China's President Xi assumes title of commander in chief

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping has assumed a more direct role as head of the country's powerful armed forces with the new title of commander in chief of its Joint Operations Command Centre, state media and analysts said Thursday. Xi's new position was revealed in news reports that featured prominently on national news broadcasts Wednesday and Thursday in which he appeared publicly for the first time in camouflage battle dress wearing the joint centre's insignia. During his Wednesday visit, Xi called on the centre's staff to "closely follow the trends of global military revolution and strive to build a joint battle command system that meets the need of fighting and...