China has removed one of its key military commanders – who oversaw forces during the Doklam standoff in 2017 and the Galwan clashes in 2020 amid border tensions with India – from its top political advisory body.
Apart from Zongqi, China also removed two senior military officers from its supreme military command body, the state Central Military Commission, state-run Xinhua reported. The former commander had combat experience in the Sino-Vietnamese war, and had handled the India-China border conflicts. This was done after investigations into suspected serious violations of discipline and law. Prior to that, he was the commander of the Jinan Military Region, and was transferred from there to the Western Command. Having risen through the ranks of war to become a senior PLA general, Zongqi was once the youngest commander among the seven military regions of the People’s Liberation Army.
Zongqi served as the first commander of China’s Western Theater Command, and was handed the military flag by President Xi Jinping in 2016. He was born in Bin County, Heilongjiang Province in 1955, according to public reports cited by The Paper.
He served as commander of the 14th and 13th Group Armies, and was elected as a member of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and promoted to Commander of the Jinan Military Region. He was promoted to deputy chief of staff of the Tibet Military Region in 1998, and later became became chief of staff. Earlier reporting noted: During the 1979 China-Vietnam War, Zhao fought on the western front.
Earlier reporting noted: Zhao has been removed from the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and two other positions, according to Reuters . He took part in military operations around Lao Cai, Cam Duong and Sa Pa, according to The Paper .
Earlier reporting noted: This new development is believed to be part of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s wider corruption crackdown in the country’s armed forces.
