Former Chinese missile force commander appointed defense minister

China appointed a former missile force commander as its new defense minister. Lt. Gen. Wei Fenghe’s naming on Monday as the international face of China’s military was among a series of appointments by the legislature on the penultimate day of its annual session. As the minister, Wei is outranked by President Xi Jinping, who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission, and two vice chairmen, AP said. Foreign Minister Wang Yi was reappointed as the country’s top diplomat and also promoted to state counselor, while Zhao Kezhi was confirmed as minister of public security in charge of the police. Chen Wenqing, a former top official in the ruling Communist Party’s graft-busting agency, remains minister of state security.