China removes Zhao Zongqi, PLA general who led Doklam-era Western Theatre Command, from CPPCC

New Delhi: China has removed former General Zhao Zongqi from his senior positions in the country’s top political advisory body, nearly six years after he was replaced as commander of the People’s Liberation Army’s Western Theatre Command – the command that faced Indian troops during the 2017 Doklam standoff and oversaw the 2020 eastern Ladakh crisis. The latest action against Gen Zhao was taken at the 18th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), which concluded in Beijing on August 26.

The removal comes after China formally ousted Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, two of its most senior military officers, from the Central Military Commission (CMC) on August 28, as Beijing carries out a wider reshuffle of its top military leadership.

Their removal followed investigations announced in January into suspected “serious violations of discipline and the law”.The latest action is therefore a formal removal following the earlier investigations, rather than the initial announcement of their downfall.

Gen Zhao had been a member of the 14th CPPCC National Committee since 2023 and was also part of its Standing Committee. His removal therefore marks the loss of the senior political positions he held after his military career.

Gen Zhao is particularly significant for India because of his previous military role. He was appointed commander of the Western Theatre Command in 2016, after China reorganized its military regions into theatre commands. The Western Theatre Command oversees China’s military responsibilities along the country’s western frontier, including the India-China border.

During Gen Zhao’s tenure, the PLA and the Indian Army faced each other in the 2017 Doklam standoff. The confrontation began after Chinese troops moved to extend a road in the Doklam area, near the India-Bhutan-China trijunction. Gen Zhao, as Western Theatre commander, was the senior PLA commander responsible for the India-facing theatre at the time. Contemporary Indian reporting identified him as a key PLA figure responsible for China’s military posture and engagement with India.

Gen Zhao remained in command when another major confrontation erupted three years later.

In May 2020, the eastern Ladakh crisis began as Chinese and Indian troops were deployed in large numbers along several points of the Line of Actual Control. The confrontation later escalated into violent clashes, including the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020.

Gen Zhao was still the commander of the Western Theatre Command during the crisis. His command therefore covered both of the major India-China military confrontations at Doklam and eastern Ladakh.

However, Gen Zhao’s time at the helm of the Western Theatre Command came to an end later that year. In December 2020, China appointed General Zhang Xudong as his replacement. At the time, Indian media noted that Gen Zhang had no previous experience in Tibet or the Western Theatre and had not previously served along the India-China border. He had instead spent much of his career in China’s former Shenyang Military Region, which covered areas bordering North Korea and Russia.

The change of command came while the eastern Ladakh standoff was still continuing, making the appointment significant for India. Gen Zhang took charge of a theatre that included China’s military responsibilities along the disputed India-China frontier.

The CMC is China’s central military decision-making body and is chaired by President Xi Jinping. The latest removals have left the state CMC with only two known members – Xi and vice-chairman General Zhang Shengmin.