The upcoming parliamentary session of the National People's Congress in March "will discuss and decide on" a request from Jiang to resign and will also elect his successor, the report said.

Xinhua also reported Wednesday that Jiang had signed a document to approve the People's Liberation Army's archive regulations -- apparently indicating that the retired leader intends to remain in the political limelight.

Jiang retired from his chairmanship of the Communist Party's Central Military Commission in September but retains the chairmanship of the state Central Military Commission, which is seen as a mainly symbolic position.

The composition of the state and Communist Party military commissions are very similar in practice and it is expected that President Hu Jintao, who succeeded to Jiang's party post, will also succeed his state position.

State media reported Tuesday that 78-year-old Jiang, China's communist party leader for 13 years between 1989 and 2002 and the head of state from 1993 to 2003, had signed a document on the modernisation of the military.

Jiang is likely to be showing that he remains influential by announcing the signature of these directives shortly after the publication of a white paper on Chinese national defence policy, analysts said.

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