Before the real transfer of power takes place at the 18th Party Congress, the Chinese Communist Party has already promoted a number of lieutenant generals to general – among them Liu Yazhou, who among other things supports an aggressive defense posture against the United States, some form of democracy in China, and closer ties with the Islamic world.
The spectacle of Wang Lijun attempting to defect has fascinated people in and out of China because it opens a window on the power struggles threatening the Chinese Communist Party.