New Delhi: China has appointed a new Army General to oversee the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Ground Forces on the India border, amid ongoing tensions across the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

The new appointment was first publicly confirmed in a report on June 1, that identified Lieutenant General Xu Qiling as the new commander of the PLA Western Theater Command Ground Force, or Army.

Lt Gen Xu will report to General Zhao Zongqi, who is commander of the Western Theater Command and oversees all forces there, including the Ground Force or Army, Air Force and Rocket Force. The command is responsible for the India border and is the biggest of five theater commands. Theater commands are usually headed by generals.

Gen. Zhao was also the Western Theater Commander during the 2017 Doklam stand-off. In October 2017, he was also appointed to the Communist Party’s 19th Central Committee.

Gen. Zhao’s counterpart in the Eastern Theater Command, General He Weidong, was previously in charge of the PLA’s Ground Forces in the west, before his promotion in January to head the entire Eastern Theater Command.

Lt. Gen Xu’s appointment can be thought of a lateral move, as he previously held the same position in the Eastern Theater Command as Commander of its Ground Forces.

Lieutenant General-level talks on June 6 to defuse tension on border

India and China will hold Lieutenant General level talks on June 6 to address the ongoing dispute in Eastern Ladakh over the massive military buildup along the Line of Actual Control by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China.

Indian Army sources said that the Leh-based 14 Corps Commander Lt Gen Harinder Singh is scheduled to hold talks with his Chinese counterpart to resolve the matter.
Armies of both countries had held talks on Tuesday as well to resolve the crisis.

“There have been more than 10 round of talks held already between the two sides. On Tuesday also, officers from both sides held talks to resolve the crisis,” Army sources had said.