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Promotion of Mao's Grandson a Definite Political Gesture
10.08.2010
Mao Xinyu was officially promoted to major general of the People’s Liberation Army on July 20, thus becoming China's youngest major general.The promotion has been regarded as a compromise among factions, whereby Mao is used as a sort of decoration to placate traditional communist political forces.
“I sense that Hu Jintao's regime is assigning the young Mao the role of a crown prince; also, promoting him to this role will demonstrate Hu's loyalty to Mao Zedong's relatives and his loyalty to Mao Zedong's political thought,” said Yang Meizhong, a China expert at the Japan-based Mitsubishi Research Institute.
Whether Mao Xinyu’s promotion was related to the still privileged status of revolutionary leader Mao Zedong—whose policies lead to the deaths and persecution of tens of millions—was a question of contention to some as it smacked of state-sponsored nepotism.