President Xi Jinping promoted two senior People's Liberation Army officers to the highest military rank of general on Thursday.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, conferred the promotion certificate to Wang Renhua, director of the CMC Political and Law Commission, and Xiao Tianliang, president of the PLA National Defense University.

General Zhang Youxia, a CMC vice-chairman, announced the promotion orders at a ceremony at the commission's headquarters in Beijing.

Xi congratulated the promoted officers, who were lieutenant generals before the ceremony and took a group picture with them and other CMC members.