China names new military chief of staff, officers

China's Defense Ministry says a new army chief of staff has been appointed along with several other top officers in the run-up to next month's national leadership transition. The ministry announced Thursday that Fang Fenghui is taking over as chief administrator of the People's Liberation Army. Fang is a former head of the military region that includes Beijing, AP reported. Other appointments included new heads of the PLA's political, logistics, and armaments departments, the other three top army staff positions. Several other deputy positions were also announced, and the ministry earlier this week announced a new head of its air force, which has become increasingly vital to China's defense strategy