New Delhi: China has removed General Zhao Zongqi, the former commander of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Western Theatre Command, from the country’s top political advisory body.
Zhao was the Western Theatre commander when China faced India during the 2017 Doklam standoff and the 2020 Galwan Valley clash in eastern Ladakh.
According to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency, Zhao has been removed from the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the Committee on Ethnic and Religious Affairs and his membership of the CPPCC. Beijing has not publicly given a reason for the decision or announced an investigation against him.
General Zhao’s India connection
Zhao headed the PLA’s Western Theatre Command, which is responsible for China’s military operations along its western borders, including the frontier with India.
His tenure covered two major India-China military confrontations.
The first was the Doklam standoff in 2017, when Indian and Chinese troops faced off for more than two months in the strategically important tri-junction area involving India, Bhutan and China.
Three years later, tensions escalated sharply in eastern Ladakh. The Galwan Valley clash of June 15, 2020, resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers. China later acknowledged four deaths on its side.
Zhao was replaced as Western Theatre commander in December 2020 after reaching retirement age.
Removal comes amid Xi Jinping’s military purge
Zhao’s removal comes at a time when Chinese President Xi Jinping is carrying out a sweeping crackdown and restructuring of the PLA leadership.
Just a day earlier, China removed two of its most senior military officers — Zhang Youxia, a vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, and Liu Zhenli, a CMC member and chief of the Joint Staff Department — from the state Central Military Commission over alleged serious violations of discipline and law.
The latest actions have further reduced the active membership of China’s seven-member state Central Military Commission to just two, including Xi Jinping himself, according to Reuters.
The military has been one of the major targets of Xi’s long-running anti-corruption campaign, which began after he came to power in 2012. Numerous senior commanders and defence officials have been investigated or removed over the years.
Why Zhao’s removal matters for India
The timing is particularly notable for New Delhi.
India and China have recently been trying to stabilise relations after years of tension following the Galwan clash. Just this week, senior Indian and Chinese officials held talks in Beijing and reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace and stability along the disputed border. Both sides also agreed to continue discussions aimed at finding a settlement to the boundary issue.
Against that backdrop, the removal of a former Western Theatre commander associated with both the Doklam standoff and Galwan clash is likely to attract close attention in India.
However, there is currently no official indication that Zhao was removed because of his role in either confrontation with India. Beijing has not provided a reason for his removal.
For now, Zhao’s ouster appears to be part of the much wider shake-up of China’s military and political leadership under Xi Jinping — but the precise reason for targeting the former Western Theatre commander remains unclear.
