Deng Xiaoping steps down from the Politburo Standing Committee, and the CCP's 13th National Congress amends the party constitution to remove the rule that the CMC chairman must be a Standing Committee member
To force out senior party elders and continue to control the military, Deng Xiaoping announced his withdrawal from the Politburo Standing Committee, after which the CCP's 13th National Congress amended the party constitution, removing the requirement that the Chairman of the Central Military Commission be a Standing Committee member.