HONOLULU -- The ascent of Hu Jintao to the third of the top three posts in China's hierarchy will most likely cause subtle changes in Beijing's relations with the United States and with China's neighbors North Korea, South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia -- but not on the sensitive issue of Taiwan.
In China, political power rests on three pillars: the Communist Party of China (CCP), the government bureaucracy and the People's Liberation Army. Hu was named chairman of China's Central Military Commission last weekend and, in effect, commander of two million men and women in the world's largest military force.
Earlier, Hu became general secretary of the CCP's Central Committee, the most important of the three posts, in November 2003 and president of China and head of the government bureaucracy in March 2003. In each case, he succeeded former President Jiang Zemin, who appears to have let loose of all but the last strings of power.