Xu Caihou
Five months later, Miao was transferred from the army to the People's Liberation Army Navy, and appointed political commissar of the navy. It was a highly unusual move, as navy political commissars, including his predecessor Liu Xiaojiang, were normally promoted internally. Observers have interpreted the move as related to the fall of General Xu Caihou, the former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. Miao spent most of his career in the Nanjing Military Region, and was based in Xiamen, Fujian Province around the same time when Xi Jinping served as deputy party chief of Fujian. He worked for many years alongside Xi, who later became China's top leader in 2012.