China names new head for PLA command at Sino-India border area

PRESIDENT XI JINPING WHO IS ALSO THE CHAIRPERSON OF CENTRAL MILITARY COMMISSION (CMC) PROMOTED FIVE OFFICERS TO THE RANK OF GENERAL IN BEIJING

BEIJING: China has promoted a senior People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officer in-charge of the Xinjiang military region as a general and head of the Western Theatre Command (WTC), which oversees the disputed Sino-India border and is the largest theatre command in the country.

President Xi Jinping who is also the chairperson of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) promoted five officers to the rank of general at a function in Beijing.

“Xi Jinping, chairman of the CMC on Monday presented five military officers of the Chinese PLA with certificates of order promoting them to the military rank of general, the highest rank for officers in active service in China,” the military said in an official statement.

“The promoted officers are Commander of the PLA WTC Wang Haijiang, Commander of the PLA Central Theatre Command Lin Xiangyang, Commander of the PLA Navy Dong Jun and Commander of the PLA Air Force Chang Dingqiu and President of PLA National Defence University Xu Xueqiang,” the statement said.

General Xu Qiliang, vice chairman of the CMC, announced the orders of promotion signed by Xi, and General Zhang Youxia, also CMC vice chairman, presided over the ceremony.

General Wei Fenghe, General Li Zuocheng, Admiral Miao Hua, and General Zhang Shengmin, who are members of the CMC, also attended the ceremony, the statement said.

The status of General Xu Qiling, who was promoted as WTC chief in July, wasn’t immediately clear.

For newly promoted general Wang Haijiang, the rise through the ranks has been rapid.

In August, he was appointed as military commander to oversee the troubled far western Xinjiang region, which is also under heightened security amid a crackdown that Beijing says is needed to prevent terrorism.

General Wang had visited India in 2016, heading the PLA contingent for the Hand-inHand anti-terrorism exercise during that time.