Amid Indian Army's Strong Pushback At LAC, Xi Jinping Replaces General Leading PLA's Western Theatre Command

With no end to the deadlock between Indian and Chinese forces at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh since the expansionist and aggressive moves made by the Chinese People's Liberation Army earlier this year, President Xi Jinping has appointed a new General as the Commander for his Western Theatre Command, reports Economic Times.

President Xi Jinping heads the Central Military Commission (CMC) of China, which heads the PLA. His new appointee, General Zhang Xudong shall now head PLA's Western Theatre Command which oversees the India-China border.

General Xudong shall succeed 65-years-old General Zhao Zongqi, who had also overseen the Western Theatre Command during the Doklam standoff with the Indian Army in 2017. The Ladakh standoff also erupted under his watch.

Since then, the two nations have held multiple rounds of talks at diplomatic and military levels to resolve the heightened and volatile situation. The latest round of talks was held on 18 December. However, the two forces remain heavily deployed in adverse weather conditions of the Eastern Ladakh territory in the absence of any resolution of the tensions.