A veteran military commander with expertise in anti-terrorism has been promoted as the new commander of the Beijing Garrison, marking the latest military personnel reshuffles in China.

The new commander, Major General Pan Liangshi, spoke at a meeting of the Party committee of the Beijing Garrison in his new capacity on Tuesday. Beijing's Party chief Guo Jinlong urged the Beijing Garrison to perform their duties and ensure the security of the city, reported the Beijing Daily.

Pan's predecessor, Lieutenant General Zheng Chuanfu, was promoted to deputy commander of the Beijing Military Area Command, one of the seven military commands of the Chinese mainland.

Pan used to be the commander of the Chinese campaign headquarters during the "Peace Mission 2013" China-Russia joint anti-terrorism military exercise. He has also overseen a large-scale military drill near the North Korean border as the commander of the 39th Group Army in December.

Some saw Pan's promotion as a strategic move to further strengthen the capital's safety after the terrorist attack in October, when a jeep plowed through a group of tourists in front of the Tiananmen rostrum, killing five people and injuring 40 others.

The police identified that it was carried out by religious extremists from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region under the influence of the radical Turkistan Islamic Party, which is actually the terrorist group East Turkistan Islamic Movement.

However, Song Zhongping, a military affairs commentator, told the Global Times on Wednesday that it is a normal job transfer and the promotion of those with combat experience is common practice around the globe.

Song said the promotion is also a response to the call of President Xi Jinping, also chairman of the Central Military Commission, after he urged the military to "be able to fight and win battles" in March 2013.

"Those with better command abilities in modern wars stand a better chance to get promoted, which means that we have every reason to expect them to play a greater role in peacekeeping when they are put in crucial positions like commander of Beijing Garrison," Song noted.

"New military leaders are becoming younger and we have seen more frequent personnel exchanges, which offer opportunities for people to learn at different positions," Xu Guangyu, a counselor at the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, told the Global Times

China has seen several  military promotions in the top ranks since December 2013. Yu Daqing and Wu Jieming, former directors of the political departments at the second artillery force and the People's Liberation Army National Defense University respectively, were promoted to be deputy political commissars of the two units.

Two former commanders from the Southern Xinjiang Military Area Command and the 38th Group Army, were also promoted to deputy commanders of the Lanzhou Military Area Command, reported Gansu Satellite TV on January 2.