ASIA PIVOT: China’s President, Xi Jinping, Gains a New Title: Commander in Chief.

Although predecessors like President Hu Jintao delegated operational responsibilities to professional soldiers, the new title reflects Mr. Xi’s desire to have a more direct role, said You Ji, who oversees the department of government and public administration at the University of Macau.

“Quite simply, it’s a symbol of ultimate command and control of the armed forces,” Professor You said.

Mr. Xi was shown speaking to officers and seated at a central dais, with other members of the military commission flanking him.

“The current situation requires battle command to be highly strategic, coordinated, timely, professional and accurate,” he said, according to Xinhua, the state news agency. “All must be done with the ultimate goal of improving battle command capacities and measured by the standards of being able to fight and win wars.”.

It would be nice to know how Xi defines “the current situation.”