The man tipped to be China’s next president has received an important boost by being promoted to the powerful commission that controls the Chinese military.

Xi Jinping, vice-president, was on Monday appointed as one of the vice-chairmen of the Central Military Commission at the end of a top-level Communist party meeting. The move is seen as a key step towards his eventual succession to Hu Jintao, current president, in two years.

Chinese leaders exert power through three different offices – general-secretary of the Communist party, state president and chair of the military commission. The 57-year-old Mr Xi’s failure to win a place on the military commission last year had raised questions about whether his candidacy enjoyed strong support. Many of those doubts are now likely to dissipate.