Ciao Zhao: What's cooking in the WTC?

Gen Zhang Xudong, new WTC Commander

Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) promoted four military and one armed police officer to the rank of full general (Three Star) in Beijing on December 18.
The new generals were presented Certificates of the Order promoting them to the rank of general by the Chairman; Three-Star general is the highest rank in the PLA.
The promoted officers are the Political Commissar (PC) of the CMC Logistic Support Department Guo Puxiao, the Commander of the Western Theater Command (WTC) of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Zhang Xudong, the Political Commissar of the PLA's Strategic Support Force Li Wei, and the new Commander of the People's Armed Police Force (PAP) Wang Chunning.
During the ceremony, Xu Qiliang, the CMC vice chairman, announced the orders of promotion signed by Xi and Xu’s colleague, Zhang Youxia presided over the ceremony. 

Ciao Zhao!

The Big News
The big news is that Gen Zhao Zongqi, who triggered the Doklam incident and probably started the present Chinese ‘misadventure’ in Ladakh seems now out of the picture.
If confirmed, this is certainly a good thing for India as Zhao has been a hardliner, wanted to teach India lessons. 

He is replaced by a rather unknown officer who has never set a foot in the WTC.
It is too early to say what it means for the future negotiations in Ladakh, but it probably indicates that Beijing will be more ‘flexible’.
Gen Zhang Xudong, who replaces Zhao has no experience of the Indian border; as a result he may follow what he will be told to do by the Central Military Commission (CMC) and his boss (Xi).
It might help Beijing to be more flexible on the border, particularly during the talks on the shores of Pangong tso; though ‘flexibility’ is not Beijing’s forte and whenever the Communist regime has been ‘flexible’ in the past, it was to better rebound.
Incidentally, it is the first time that a Commander of the WTC (and earlier the Chengdu and Lanzhou Military Regions) has no experience/knowledge of the Indian border.
It probably means that Chengdu, the WTC seat, will be sidelined and orders will come directly from the CMC and the PLA Army (Ground Force) in Beijing.

Gen Zhang Xudong, new WTC Commander

Who is Gen Zhang Xudong?
Zhang Xudong is the WTC’s 2nd Commander (in 2016, the Lanzhou and Chengdu MR were merged and became the WTC).
As mentioned, on December 18, 2020, Zhang was appointed to replace Gen Zhao Zongqi, the 'father' of Doklam episode.

Zhang’s Career
Gen Zhang is born in March 1962 in Liaoning Province.
Like all the PLA generals, he is from the Han Nationality.
He was promoted to the rank of major general in July 2012 and lieutenant general in July 2018
Zhang Xudong served in the Shenyang Military Region for a long time and was successively Commander of the 39th Group Army and the Chief of Staff of the 39th Army Group.
In early 2014, he succeeded Maj Gen Pan Liangshi and became commander of the 39th Group Army’s Ground Force.
At the time of the reforms in 2016, he was promoted deputy commander of the Central Theater Command (CTC) and later commander of the CTC’s Army (Ground Force). Subsequently, he became CTC deputy commander.
On October 1, 2019, he served as the deputy commander-in-chief of the military parade in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. He may have been noticed by the Emperor at that time.
When Zhang was transferred to Chengdu as WTC commander (probably a few weeks ago), Gen Zhao Zongqi had already crossed the retirement age since April 2020, (that is perhaps the reason why he started the Ladakh operations, hoping for a promotion in the CMC).
The question is why Gen Zhang, an officer without any experience of the WTC, particularly of the border with India, where one lakh of jawans are facing each other in the harsh Himalayan winter, was selected to replace Zhao Zongqui who had 20 years of experience in the Tibet Ministry District (TMD) and had walked every inch of the frontier.
Chairman Xi wanted probably to remove a hardliner who had already created trouble for the Emperor during the Doklam confrontation. It is one possibility.
It should be noted that Gen Zhang is not a member of the Central Committee or the National People's Congress. It means that he had no 'political' exposure like his predecessor.

Gen Li Wei, PC of the PLASSF

Other Promotions
Another promoted officer has been actively associated with the WTC and the Ladakh border; it is General Li Wei who is currently the third PC of the Chinese PLA Strategic Support Force (PLASSF).
Li is born in September 1960 in Jiyuan, Henan.
He was promoted to the rank of major general in July 2008 and lieutenant general in July 2016.
He is a representative of the 13th National People's Congress.
He has been the head of the cadre department of the Political Department of the Lanzhou Military Region and later the commander of the 6th Independent Mechanized Infantry Division of the Southern Xinjiang Military District (SXMD) facing Ladakh.
Contrary to Zhang Xudong, Li knows well the border with India.
In January 2007, he served as director of the Political Department of the 47th Group Army’s Ground Force and in 2010, became deputy PC of the 47th Army.
In October 2012, he was transferred as PC of the SXMD and a year later PC of the 21st Group Army’s Ground Force.
In December 2014, Liu Lei became the PC of the Xinjiang Military Region (XMD).
From July 2015, he served in and out as a member of the Standing Committee of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Party.
As a result of his transfer to the PLASSF, the XMD has no PC. A new incumbent will probably be announced in the coming weeks. This has to be watched.

Gen Wang Chunning

Other promoted generals
General Wang Chunning has become the 9th Commander of the People's Armed Police Force (PAP).
A native of Muping, Shandong, Wang is born in March 1963 in Nanjing. 

He was promoted to the rank of major general in 2011 and lieutenant general in July 2017.
He is the son of Wang Yongming, the former deputy PC of the former Nanjing Military Region.
He is an alternate member of the 19th Central Committee (CC) of the Communist Party of China.
He started working in July 1985 and joined the Communist Party in April 1986. He served as chief of staff, regimental commander, division chief of staff, deputy division commander, head of the equipment department of the First Army Group, and commanded the First Division.
In 2009, he became Chief of Staff of the First Army's Ground Force.
From 2010 to 2014, he was deputy commander of the First Army's Ground Force (during which he served as deputy chief of staff of the East China Sea Fleet of the Navy).
In 2014, he became commander of the 12th Group Army and in August 2016, commander of the Beijing Garrison (a deputy theater-rank post) and deputy secretary of the party committee.
From January to May 2020, he was a member of the Standing Committee of the Beijing Municipal Committee.
In April 2020, he was transferred as Chief of Staff of the PAP. His promotion has been rather quick.

Gen Guo Pu

General Guo Puxiao
Guo Puxiao or Guo Pu is a native of Yaoxian County, Shaanxi; he is born in 1964.
He is a general of the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).
He served as the PC of the Urumqi Air Force Command Post, PC of the 37th Air Division, and the director of the Political Department of the 15th Airborne Corps.
He has therefore a connection with the Ladakh border.
In 2014, he became PC of the 15th Army of the Airborne Corps and in 2017, served as deputy PC of the CTC and later PC of the CTC’s Air Force.
In July 2018, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.
In December 2019, he was transferred to the PC of the Logistics Support Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC).

 

Gen Xu Zhongbo

General Xu Zhongbo
The last promoted officer is Gen Xu Zhongbo
He is the second PC of the PLA Rocket Force (PLARF). He took over the post in July 2020.
He is born in October 1960 in Rushan, Shandong Province.
He was promoted to the rank of major general in 2010 and lieutenant general in 2017.
Xu Zhongbo joined the PLA in March 1978 and served as a soldier, typist, student, platoon leader, officer, deputy section chief and section chief of the brigade political organization, deputy director and section chief of the political organization of the group army, and director of the division political department.
In December 2003, he became PC of the 8th Brigade Artillery of the 26th Group Army and in September 2007, as PC of the 8th Armored Division of the Group Army.
In May 2009, he was transferred as Director of the Political Department of the Group Army and in 2013, promoted as PC of the 20th Army. In October 2014, Xu Zhongbo was transferred to the 54th Army.
In February 2016, he got a promotion and became PC of the WTC (Ground Force). 

In October 2017, he was elected as an alternate member of the 19th Central Committee.
From December 2017, he served as the PC of the Joint Logistics Support Force (JLSF) and in July 2020, became PC of the Rocket Army.

Some conclusions
Though it might be too early to draw definite conclusions, it is a fact that for the first time an officer without any first-hand knowledge of the Region/Command has taken over. It seems a deliberate choice by Chairman Xi.
With the transfer of Gen Li Wei, the XMD has no PC; further no news has come out on Gen Liu Wanglong, the XMD commander for a long time. Is he still around?

Another mystery, who is the PC of the SXMD?
Has Maj Gen Liu Lin (he should have been promoted Lt Gen since a long time to interact with the Indian Corps Commander) a counterpart PC in the SXMD?
Could the XMD and the SXMD function without PC?
All this is rather strange to say the least. 

What's cooking in the WTC? India should watch.

The Five promoted generals with the 7 CMC members

 

New Changes in the Western Theater Command (updated)

On December 13, 2019, as the Corona virus had probably started spreading in Wuhan, Xi Jinping Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) promoted seven lieutenant generals to the rank of full general (‘Three Stars’). One of them was Lt Gen He Weidong who was transferred on promotion as commander of the Eastern Theater Command (ETC).
According to Xinhua News Agency, the promotion ceremony for the rank of general was held at the Beijing’s Bayi (PLA) Building and Chairman Xi issued the orders of promotion.

The officers promoted were He Weidong, Commander of the Eastern Theater, He Ping, Political Commissar of the Eastern Theater, Wang Jianwu, Political Commissar of the Southern Theater, Li Qiaoming, Commander of the Northern Theater, Zhou Yaning, Commander of the Rocket Army, Li Fengbiao, Commander of the Strategic Support Force and Military Dean of the Academy of Sciences Yang Xuejun.

Promotion of new generals

Xi’s Visit to Wuhan

Incidentally, on October 18, 2019, Xi Jinping flew to Wuhan to attend the first Party Congress of the PLA’s Joint Logistic Support Force (JLSF). Xinhua said that Xi Jinping encouraged the JLSF delegates and other senior officers stationed in Hubei province “to faithfully perform their duties and contribute to fulfilling the dream of a strong military.”
Did Xi know then that the JLSF would play a crucial role in the ‘war’ against the COVID-19, which erupted in the capital city of Hubei province just a month later, on November 17?
Did he know that there was something fishy going on around the wet fish market a few kilometers away, as well as the two laboratories located in Wuhan? There is no answer so far.

Military Reforms
In 2018, the Chinese media reported that the Tibet Military Command/Military District in the WTC had been elevated by one level compared to other provincial-level military districts and placed under the PLA Army (PLAA or PLAGF). The China Brief of the Jamestown Foundation explained: “Most provincial-level military districts are under the National Defense Mobilization Department of the CMC with responsibility for reserves, militia and conscription.”
In 2016 already, an article in The Global Times reported that the Tibet Military Command was responsible “for operations against India, at least in the Arunachal Pradesh area, training forces for specialized high-altitude mountain warfare and long-range mobility for such a contingency.”
The Xinjiang Military District (XMD) is also under PLAA (or PLAGF) command, “The current reforms and reorganization make the services responsible for force development and training their respective forces, which would appear to include the Army commands in the Tibet and Xinjiang Military Districts,” said the Jamestown Foundation.

What is interesting for India is the Gen He Weilong was previously deputy commander of the WTC and Commander of the WTC Army Component or Ground Force (GF). It shows the importance of the post.

General He Weidong

Who is General He Weidong?
According to Chinese websites, He Weidong was born in the town of Xuhe, in Dongtai, Jiangsu in May 1957.

After middle school, he enlisted in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in December 1972.

In 1981, he graduated from PLA Nanjing Army Command College and in 2001, he entered the National University of Defense Technology.

He served as deputy chief of staff of the Nanjing Military Region; commander of the Jiangsu Military District (July 2013 – March 2014); commander of the Shanghai Security District and member of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai Municipal Committee (March 2014 – February 2016).
Post military reforms, He Weidong was transferred and served as deputy commander and commander of the GF in the WTC (February 2016 – December 2019) as well as deputy secretary of the party committee of the GF in the WTC.
He was promoted to the rank of major general in July 2008; lieutenant general in July 2017 and general in December 2019. He was recently a delegate to National People's Congress.
Though theoritically, he has no operational control; he is only responsible for the training, equipment and manpower of the GF in the WTC, his promotion  as as full general and commander of the ETC shows that the post of commander of the WTC’s PLAGF is a crucial one for the WTC in general and for the Indian border in particular.

Lt Gen Xu Qiling

New Commander PLAGF of the WTC
In this perspective, it is extremely surprising that the post remained ‘vacant’ for more than five months.
It is only in May that it was announced that Lt Gen Xu Qiling had taken over as the new commander of the WTC's PLAGF.
This late appointment occurred at a time when the Chinese attack across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh and Sikkim.
Had Gen Xu been brought in to coordinate the fronts in Sikkim and Ladakh?
It is difficult to know for certain.
According to the report of the WTC’s Official WeChat account, on May 29, the WTC held a meeting of the Standing Committee of the WTC’s Party Committee “to convey the spirit of learning the third meeting of the 13th National People's Congress.”
Lt Gen Xu Qiling, the new commander of the WTC PLAGF delivered the report and the WTC PLAGF’s Political Commissar Lt Gen Xu Deqing presided over the meeting. In China, the best way to know who is where and in which position are to read functions’ announcements. According to some other sources, Lt Gen Xu would have already been in his post in April.

In 2016, the People's Liberation Army established five theaters commands as part of the military reforms dear to President Xi Jinping. Xu Qiling (then Maj Gen) became the deputy commander of the PLAGF in the Central Theater (CTC).

Lt Gen Xu Qiling

Lt Gen Xu’s Biodata
Lt Gen Xu Qiling (Chinese: 徐起零) was born in Huaiyang District, Zhoukou, Henan in July 1963.

He served in Jinan Military Region for a long time before being transferred as commander of the 83rd Group Army.

He was deputy commander of the CTC in 2016, and held that office until March 2017, when he was appointed commander of the 79th Group Army.

He rose to become commander of the ETC’s PLAGF in December 2018, replacing Lt Gen Qin Weijiang.
On December 11, 2019, he was awarded the military rank of lieutenant general by Chairman Xi.

Like Lt Gen He Weilong, he was a delegate to the 13th National People's Congress.

Lt Gen Wang Qiang (Air Force)
Gen Xu Qiling's counterpart in the Air Force is Lt Gen Wang Qiang.

He was already a full-time deputy commander of the WTC; since May 8, he is hold the post of commander of the WTC PLA Air Force (PLAAF).
He replaces Lt Gen Zhan Houxun who has retired.
Lt Gen Wang Qiang, an Air Force officer, is also a fighter pilot.
He once served as a division commander of the Air Force Aviation Division of the Jinan Military Region, and deputy chief of staff of the Air Force of the Jinan Military Region (like his boss Gen Zhao Zhonqi).
In July 2014, while in Jinan, he was promoted to the rank of Major General of the PLAAF.
Following the military reform, in January 2016, he followed General Zhao in Chengdu and was promoted deputy chief of staff of the WTC and later chief of staff of the Air Force of the WTC.
In 2018, he was promoted to full-time deputy commander of the WTC.
In December 2019, he became a lieutenant general in the PLAAF.
The WTC Air Command is located in Chengdu.
Interestingly, Lt Gen Wang Qiang visited India in 2017 on the occasion of the Aero India 2017.
The Bangalore Mirror reported: “For the first time in the history of India’s premier military aviation show, Aero India, China will make its debut in the event’s five‐day 11th edition with a confirmed five‐member team. The Chinese team – all from People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), the Chinese Air Force – will be headed by Major General Wang Qiang. part from Maj Gen Qiang, the defence officials have confirmed the delegation comprising Senior Colonel Gao Zhikuan, Col Huang Xinyang, Lt Col Jiang Jiaji and Maj Li Yiu.”

General Zhao Zongqi

The Boss: Gen Zhao Zonqi

The WTC Commander, General Zhao Zongqi, is well-known in India for having commanded the Chinese troops during the Doklam episode.

Zhao Zongqi was born in Bin County , southern Heilongjiang Province in April 1955.

He joined the army in December 1970 and was incorporated into the 118th Regiment  40 Division of the 14th Army in the Yunnan Border Region .

During this period, Zhao Zongqi served as the squad leader, acting platoon leader, and regiment reconnaissance staff.

Later, he participated as a reconnaissance unit in the battlefield of the Sino-Vietnamese War Western Front, infiltrated 10 kilometers deep to collect intelligence, and assisted the 40th Division in the battle of Lao Cai and Ban Fei.

After the war, due to his merit, Zhao Zongqi was transferred to the Reconnaissance Division of the 40th Division. In the following two mountain battles , Zhao Zongqi led the team to support the 31st division of the 14th army and participated in the Yinshan battle.

In 2016, [then] Lt Gen Zhao Zongqi was transferred from Jinan Military Region (where he was the commander) to Chengdu (Sichuan), the WTC Headquarter; he became the first commander of the WTC.
Perhaps more importantly, General Zhao Zonqi served 20 years in the Tibet Military District (TMD). He knows every inch and corner of the Indian border, at least of the TMD, which includes the trijunction Bhutan-India-Tibet where the Doklam standoff took place; he is also probably aware of every inch of the frontier in Northern Sikkim (under Kampa Dzong district), particularly in the Naku La area which witnessed serious fist-fights between Indian and Chinese troops in April/May.

Zhao’s great knowledge of the border was an important factor when Beijing decided to open the Doklam front in 2017.

According to a Chinese website: "

In April 1992, Zhao Zongqi was transferred to the commander of the 52nd Mountain Infantry Brigade in the Tibet Military Region (District). The 52nd Brigade was also one of the first brigades of the PLA undertaking reforms. Until 2003, Zongqi Zhao had been stationed in Tibet to work with the 52nd  Brigade. During this period, he insisted on strengthening the construction of Tibetan border posts, advocated large-scale military training in the army, and continuously improved the combat readiness of 52nd Brigade. In 1998, Zhao Zongqi was promoted to deputy chief of staff of the Tibet Military Region and soon became the chief of staff. In July 2001, he was promoted to the rank of major general from the rank of deputy military officer.

The 2016 restructuring of the PLA had an interesting feature, the former Military Regions (MRs) of Chengdu and Lanzhou were regrouped which means the entire Indian border thereafter came under one single command and not two as before.
One can see that the present operations in Ladakh or in Sikkim (and in Arunachal if necessary) can be synchronized under one command (under General Zhao Zongqi); it is a formidable advantage.
The brigadisation of the PLA is another advantage which makes the actions of the Chinese Army more flexible and responsive to new and complicated situations.

The WTC has two Military Districts dealing with India, the Tibet Military District and the Xinjiang Military District (XMD).

General Wu Shezhou

The Jinan Clique?

Where was Gen Zhao Zongqi before taking over the WTC?
From 2012 to 2016, he was commanding the Jinan Military Region (JMR).
The big shots of the WTC have served with him him in JMR.
We have mentioned Lt Gen Xu Qiling, but also is counterpart in the Air Force is Lt Gen Wang Qiang who served as a division commander of the Air Force Aviation Division of the Jinan Military Region, and deputy chief of staff of the Air Force.
It is also the case of No 2 in the WTC (practically equal to Zhao Zongqi), General Wu Shezhou, the WTC Polital Commissar.

He  was born in Hanchuan, Hubei Province in 1958, and served in the Guangzhou Military Region for most of his career.

He was Deputy Director of the Political Department of the Guangzhou MR until late 2012, when we was appointed Political Commissar of the Joint Logistics Department of the Guangzhou MR.
But in late 2014, he was transferred to the Jinan Military Region to serve as its Director of the Political Department.
In January 2017 Wu was promoted to WTC's Political Commissar, replacing General Zhu Fuxi.
The move was said to be unusual because of his age. At the time of his appointment Wu was the youngest of the ten top officers of China's five Theater Commands.
In October 2017, he was elected as a member of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and in May this year, he was a delegate to the NPC.
There is clearly a Jinan Clique on the frontiers of India.

Lt Gen Wang Haijiang

Another New Commander
Lt Gen Xu Yong who has been commanding the TMD for the past seven years, seems to have retired since a few months.
Lt Gen Wang Haijiang has taken his responsibilities.
Incidentally, Wang Haijiang attended the opening ceremony of the sixth India China Joint Training Exercise, Exercise Hand-in-Hand 2016, held at the parade ground in Aundh Military Camp in Pune.
The joint exercise was held in the presence of Major General Y K Joshi, Additional Director General, Military Operations (now Army Commander Northern Command responsible for Ladakh) and Wang Haijiang.

Who is Lt Gen Wang Haijiang?
Wang Haijiang (Chinese: 汪海江) was born in Anyue County, Sichuan in July 1963.
Wang participated in the Sino-Vietnamese War (he was 16??) and won first class merit. After war, he became secretary of Li Qianyuan, former Commander of the Lanzhou Military Region.
He served in the 76th Group Army since 1997.
Wang Haijiang served as the 61st Division Commander and Deputy Commander of the Southern Xinjiang Military Region. In January 2013 he was promoted to become Deputy Commander of the Nanjiang Military District, a position he held until 2016, when he was appointed Deputy Commander of the TMD.
On December 10, 2019, he was awarded the military rank of lieutenant general by Chairman Xi.
Like Gen He Weilong and Lt Gen Xu Qiling, he recently attended as a delegate the 13th National People's Congress in Beijing.

However, Lt Gen Xu Yong’s colleague and commander of the XMD, Lt Gen Liu Wanglong was not seen anywhere.

With [then] Maj Gen Joshi in Pune

Member of the TAR Standing Committee
On January 6, the newly promoted lieutenant general Wang Haijiang attended the Standing Committee of the Tibetan Autonomous Region.
According to the Tibet Daily, the Third Session of the 11th CPPCC National Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region took place in Lhasa.
A Standing Committee meeting, headed by Wu Yingjie with Lobsang Gyaltsen, Che Dala, Ding Yexian and Wang Haijiang in attendance, was held.

Wang Haijiang was seated solemnly between Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of TAR and Executive Vice Chairman of the Government, and He Wenhao, another member of the TAR Standing Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Committee.

It has to be noted that the Commander of the TMD is only ranked No 6 in the Communist hierarchy of the Tibet Autonomous Region or TAR (after the party Secretary and the four Deputy Secretaries). This explains that the TMD Commander do not always attend the meetings of the Standing Committee.

On January 3, the TAR's Standing Committee of the People’s Congress had issued an announcement that Lt Gen Xu Yong had been transferred from Tibet.
In March 2018, Wang Haijiang who had earlier served as deputy commander of the TMD declared: "For individuals, struggling is a ladder to achieve their own growth; for the country, struggling is the driving force for development. I graduated from the college entrance examination in 1977; [I belong to] one of the first batches of students who took part in the college entrance examination to enter the military academy. Shortly after my graduation, I participated in the border self-defense counterattack operation, led officers and soldiers to the frontier position for reconnaissance many times, and won first-class merits for the bravery of the battle. I have witnessed that many comrades-in-arms have worked hard under the [PLA’s] organization and training, and they have contributed their due strength to the development of the PLA."
He further stated: "The military experience of the past 40 years has made me realize that the strength of the Army is closely related to the perseverance and perseverance of every officer and soldier. Practice has proved that the perseverance and dedication of each person struggling, create a happy life [for everybody] and at the same time, we realize the value and achievements of our country.”
The PLA also reported that Lt Gen Wang Haijiang had been squatting for 10 months on the frontier defense line at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters in 2017, leading officers and soldiers to build the Panshan Road in extreme weather and contribute to the construction of a border well-off village.
It looks like that there is a lot of ‘happenings’ in the WTC.
This did not stop the Chinese troops to cross the LAC and enter the Indian territory and use a level of violence rarely seen before.

During Zhurihe’s military parade in Inner Mongolia

Maj Gen Liu Lin
Maj Gen Lui Lin who met the 14 Corps Commander is commanding the Southern XMD (SXMD). He was earlier Chief of Staff of the SXMD, which exercises front-line responsibility and jurisdiction over the Hotan and Ngari Military Sub-Districts (Ladakh comes under Hotan Military Sub District).
On April 10, 1987, the Central Military Commission had established the ‘Southern Military Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army’ under the Xinjiang Military District. The SXMD itself is based in Kashgar.
On November 4, 2016, it was announced that the role of the SXMD was to be “stationed on the northwestern border of the motherland, guarding more than 900,000 square kilometers of the territory of the People’s Republic as well as the borderline of more than 3,500 kilometers.”

Li Lin was promoted to the rank of Major General in January 2015 and was transferred to the Deputy Commander of the SXMD the same year.Last year, the PLA media revealed that Major General Liu Lin had been promoted to commander of the South Xinjiang Military Region.

In 2017, Liu Lin had participated in the Zhurihe’s military parade in Inner Mongolia, as a leader of the self-propelled artillery team.

In an interview published in the ‘Military Report’ of the CCTV, Maj Gen Liu Lin explained: “President Xi requires that the soldiers be trained first, and the strong army first needs strong officers. The generals and the senior commanders need to be evaluated with strict and high standards. …[if this is done], we will better grasp the actual combat training of the troops.”

Liu Lin earlier served as the Commander of the XMD’s 8th Infantry Division.

In an interview, Liu Lin said being “a good team leader, it's not enough to stand at the top of the line, and more importantly, we must set up first-class standards.”

Maj Gen Liu Geping with his family in Ngari

Maj Gen Liu Geping

The case of Maj Gen Liu Geping is interesting.
It is said that Gen Liu is half Tibetan; it is not clear which one of his parents was Tibetan. But for official purpose, he is listed as a ‘Han’, it is safer for promotion.
For decades, Liu served in the South Xinjiang Military District.
He was commanding the Chinese forces during the major intrusions in April 2013 in the Depsang Plains just before Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s visit to India and in September 2014 in Chumar in Ladakh as President Xi Jinping arrived in Delhi/Ahmedabad.
At that time, Major General Li Haiyang was the commander of the SXMD.
Then a Senior Colonel, Liu Geping was commanding the Ngari (Ali) SMD, he was responsible for areas such as Chushul, Pangong tso, Demchok, Chumar and Shipkila Pass.
A Chinese website mentioned: “In early September 2014, Liu Geping received an order to force the troops to go to a certain area in the No. 6 area and perform a training exercise called ‘Operation Hurricane’."
It refers to the intrusions in Chumar sector in Ladakh.
An article describes thus the operation: “the task force, after receiving specific instructions while traveling, arranged forward the tasks of each detachment while advancing quickly. The zipper area was at a long distance, high altitude, low temperature, poor road conditions, and belongs to the no man's land area. In the course of the operation, it strictly required the actual combat conditions and took 375 hours.”
The operation was on Indian territory.
In 2015 , I mentioned on this blog, the 'coincidence' of the intrusions in Burtse in Ladakh sector.
Gen General Zhang Yang and then Senior Colonel Liu Geping were the main actors.

In July 2017, Liu was promoted to major general and transferred to Xinjiang as Commander of the Military Department of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. The responsibility of this Department was the recruitment, training, deployment and overall management of all militia units in Xinjiang, including guarding the Uighur ‘reform’ camps.
Recently, Liu Geping has taken over as commander of the Qinghai Military District.
An article in Caixin.com says that “he worked in hard and remote areas for a long time, successively served as the commander of the division of the Ngari Army.
Caixin.com also commented: “Provincial military commander adjustment continued.”

Maj Gen Liu Geping with Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps

On May 8, the WeChat public account of the Qinghai Provincial National Defense Education Office published the "Survey of Commander Liu Geping from the Provincial Military Region to the Haibei Army Division Inspection and Investigation". The article revealed that the provincial military commander Liu Geping went to Haibei for a two-day investigation and investigation. This was Liu Geping's first appearance after taking his new posting.
In a speech, Liu Geping urged the PLA to follow “Xi Jinping's thoughts of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era as the guide, study and implement Xi Jinping's strong military thought in depth, use military training to prepare officers and soldiers, use scientific methods to guide officers and soldiers, use laws and regulations to standardize officers and soldiers, and constantly harmonize and harmonize the interior relationship.”

He knows his lesson well.

Maj Gen Qu Xinyong in Qinghai

Maj Gen Qu Xinyong

Maj Gen Liu Geping recently replaced Maj Gen Qu Xinyong as the commander of the Sichuan Military District (SMD); the new SMD commander was seen for the first time in his new post on April 21, when the Sichuan Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government held the Sichuan Science and Technology Award Conference in Chengdu; Qu Xinyong participated as the commander of the Sichuan Military Region.

A Chinese website said: “Qu Xinyong made a special trip to the Deng Xiaoping Bronze Statue Square to present a flower basket and to bow. He also visited the exhibition hall of Deng Xiaoping's former residence, admiring the former residence of Comrade Deng Xiaoping, and remembering the immortal merits of Comrade Deng Xiaoping for China's revolution, construction, and reform.”

Maj Gen Qu Xinyong

Qu Xinyong Biodata
He was born in May 1961 in Yantai, Shandong.
He joined the Army in 1978 and the Communist Party in September 1981; later served in the 31st Division of the 11th Army and the 31st Division of the 14th Army.
In 2002, he was the head of the 93rd Regiment of the 31st Division of the 14th Army.
Later, he became the Chief of Staff of the same Division.
During the period March-August 2006, he attended the Advanced Training Course for Military Command of the the Russian Federation Armed Services Synthesis Academy in Russia.
In 2010, Qu Xinyong returned to the 31st Division of the 14th Army as the division commander.
In 2013, he was transferred to the Chief of Staff of the Yunnan Provincial Military Region and the deputy commander of the military region the following year.
In March 2017, Qu Xinyong was promoted commander of the Qinghai Provincial Military District (QMD) and de facto included in the Standing Committee of the Qinghai Provincial Party Committee. He then replaced Maj Gen Jiang Yongshen.

Now he has been replaced by Maj Gen Liu Geping.

Lt Gen Liu Wanglong

Lt Gen Liu Wanlong
Liu Wanglong was born in July 1962 in Dongchangfu District, Liaocheng City, Shandong Province.
In February 2008, Liu Wanlong was appointed as the commander of the Ngari (Ali) MD of the XMD, facing Northern India.
In 2011, he was transferred and appointed deputy commander of the South Xinjiang Military district (SXMD).
In 2013, he was posted as the Minister of the Military Department of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.
Note that Maj Gen Liu Geping, cited above, had a similar career trajectory, though the latter is a few years junior.
On March 17, 2014, Liu was transferred to the Gansu MD; the ‘adjustment’ order of the leadership of the Gansu MD was announced during a meeting.
It was the time when the heads started rolling in the PLA; ultimately between one and two hundreds major generals and above would be ‘investigated’ and would loose their job.
‘Adjustment’ became a routine in the senior ranks of the PLA.
In June 2016, the political commissar of the Lanzhou MD, Maj Gen Li Changcai said that the CMC had appointed Liu Wanlong as the commander of the Gansu MD, in place of Chen Zhishu; Liu Wanlong would also served as a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Gansu Provincial Committee.
In January 2017, he was transferred to the Xinjiang MD as its commander.
In Urumqi (XMD), he replaced Lt Gen Peng Yong who has been several times mentioned on this blog.

Gen Liu patrolling the border

In December 2012 Liu had been promoted to the rank of major general and in July 2018, to the rank of lieutenant general.
According to a press release of the Embassy of India in Beijing, during the official visit to China, of Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, Army Commander, Northern Command (between January 7 and 10, 2020), the Indian delegation had meetings at Beijing, Chengdu and Urumqi.
On 8 January 2020, Gen Ranbir visited Chengdu and met General Zhao Zongqi, commander of the WTC (see above). The next day, the delegation flew to Urumqi and met Lt Gen Liu Wanlong.
Since then Gen Liu has not been seen in public.
He did not attend the recently-held National People’s Congress in Beijing while his counterpart for the TMD, Lt Gen Wang Haijiang was attendance; so was Gen Zhao Zongqi; Gen Liu Wanglong was not even listed as one of the 269-PLA delegates.
Was he indisposed or busy preparing the operations in Ladakh?
Lt Gen Liu Wanglong is still listed as a member of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

('District' is sometimes translated as 'Region')

Tibet: China moving the West ...and the South

In the recent months, rapid developments have taken place in Western Tibet.
This will be the object of several posts.


Banning Foreign Tourists 
As the 19th Congress approaches, China is nervous.
The Chinese authorities have banned foreigners to travel to Tibet from October 18 to 28.
During this period, the crucial Congress will be held in Beijing.
On September 22, Radio Free Asia (RFA) asserted: “The ban was announced by telephone about ten days ago”.
A Tibetan working in a travel agency in Xining (in Qinghai province) told the radio’s Tibetan Service: “During this period, it is not just foreigners but also Tibetans living in the Amdo region of Qinghai who are not allowed to travel in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).”
Agence France Presse confirmed: “During the sensitive, high-level talks, Tibet will close its borders to foreigners, while visitors traveling the country during that period will likewise be required to leave by October 17.”
Usually, foreign visitors and Tibetans living in the Chinese western provinces are not allowed to visit Tibet in March, at the time of the Two Meetings and the anniversary of the Tibetan uprising on March 10.

Demonstration of Force
Incidentally, on September 26, the TAR held the Ninth Regional Congress in Lhasa.
According to the Chinese media: "Police officers and civilians, armed police and soldiers and other involved in the keeping the stability of the region participated. There was a parade ‘to inspire the people’, during which the police vowed to keep a fearless fighting spirit and dare ‘to win the powerful momentum’".
The slogans were: “Loyal to the party, keep in mind the mission, fight terrorist violence, governance for stability, strong base solid, cohesion, advocate honor, dare to win.”
The participants pledged to the Party to maintain the security during the Congress. “Raise right fist, take collective oath.”

A New Highway in Shigatse
In the meantime, a new 40-km highway was opened which should shorten the journey from an hour to 30 minutes between Shigatse airport and the city centre.
According to The Global Times: “Experts believe the development will enable China to forge a route into South Asia in both economic and defence terms.”
It is not clear how 40-km of road could 'link' the plateau to South Asia; it looks more as a propaganda exercise to ‘scare’ India.
The Chinese tabloid says: “The road runs parallel with the Shigatse-Lhasa railway line linking the 5,476 kilometre G318 highway from Shanghai to Zhangmu on the Nepal border.”
Zhao Gancheng, a so-called expert and director of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, who was one of the Chinese hardliners during the Doklam incident, told The Global Times: “It can link with the future cross-border Sino-Nepali railway. …The Sino-Nepali railway, which passes through the Chinese border town of Zhangmu and connects with routes in Nepal, will be the first railway by which China enters South Asia.”
Zhao has it probably wrong: the only railway ever mentioned is crossing to Nepal near the landport of Kyirong.
The new railway is apparently part a deal signed when Nepal Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara visited China in early September.
The People’s Daily wrote: “The railway includes two lines: one connecting three of Nepal’s most important cities and two crossing the border.”

A New Road?
RFA also mentioned the project of a new road affirming that Chinese soldiers and civilians who are building a road linking Southern Tibet to Nepal, set up a banner at the border, inviting Nepalese citizens on the other side to help them extend the road farther into Nepal.
Apparently the troops arrived at Nepal’s border near Kyirong on September 1: “they distributed food and clothing to the Nepalese, promising to help them with the roadwork and other construction projects in Nepal if permission can be obtained from government authorities in Kathmandu.”
It is rather strange that Chinese soldiers have started pressurizing Nepali local villagers to get the permission to continue the railway to Kathmandu.
RFA’s source said: “The Chinese began building a road from the Tibetan side of the border up to the Nepalese side about two years ago, and they have now finally finished that work. …Now, a group of Chinese military and civilian officials have appeared at the border, raising a banner and the Chinese national flag to win the hearts and minds of the people on the border.”
The fact is the road was greatly delayed due to the earthquake epicentered in Kyirong.
The railway line will probably follow the same route as the highway.
I have often mentioned on this blog, the new road (as well as the railway) which will link Nepal and Tibet.
The PLA soldiers carried a banner urging ‘loyalty to the Chinese motherland’ and calling for ‘harmonious living’: “This is a new development, and the local Nepali residents are concerned and have mixed feelings about China’s distribution to them of free goods,” said RFA.
The entire episode is strange but it denotes the Chinese authorities’ will to develop Western Tibet (Ngari Khorsum for the Tibetans) on a grand scale and open up on Nepal. It could be the beginning of a flood of goods and people onto the erstwhile kingdom.

Thre railway lines in Nepal?
Last year The Kathmandu Post had reported that four Chinese companies had shown interest to conduct feasibility study for Kathmandu-Rasuwagadhi railway line.
Kathmandu had asked China to conduct a survey and a detailed project report (DPR).
The Nepali newspaper noted: “Once the proposed railway is constructed, it will establish direct railway connectivity with Chinese railway which is expected to arrive in Kyirong, a bordering town of China across Rasuwagadhi, within a few years.” It was said that Sinohydro, China Railway Fist Survey and Design Institute Group, China Engineering Oversees Group (COVEC) and China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC) applied for conducting the survey.
The Post added: “The Chinese proposals follow Nepal’s request to China to provide financial and technical support for the feasibility study and the preparation of the DPR of the proposed Rasuwagadhi-Kathmandu and Kathmandu-Pokhara-Lumbini Railway Project. The request was made during former prime minister KP Sharma Oli’s visit to China in March. During the visit, it was agreed that the relevant authorities of both sides would exchange ideas and proposals on constructing cross-border railways and rail network in Nepal, and support enterprises to start related preparatory work as soon as possible.”
This was during Oli’s times; it is clear that Beijing is putting pressure on the new government in Kathmandu to continue with the project.

Photo taken in 2012

The Strategic Importance of Shigatse
During the Doklam episode, Chris Biggers mentions in Bellingcat the strategic importance of Shigatse: “Commercial imagery acquired during July and August has shown up to eight PLAAF J-10 multi-role fighters parked on the apron [of Shigatse]. They likely arrived between March and April after at least five Shenyang J-11, a modified and locally produced variant of the Russian Su-27SK, departed the airfield.”
There is usually a rotation of the war planes between Shigatse ‘Peace’ and Lhasa Gongkar airports.
The article continues: “Similar to Gongkar, the fourth generation aircraft were also joined in late June by a rotation of MI-17 or MI-171 HIP, the latter an improved variant. At least two of the four HIP [NATO code name] had weapons racks or winglets attached suggesting they could perform combat or transport roles. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force and the PLA Aviation Corp operate the platform.”
Further on August 6 says “we saw the first known deployment of a drone to the airbase. A single CH-4 medium altitude long endurance UAV, joined the HIP on the western parking apron. A primary satellite link was also located at a leveled support area north of the runway. The presence of the satellite link suggests the UAV is piloted from the airbase. This is the first drone deployment at a forward airbase observed since the Doka La crisis was triggered.”
The author concludes: “Bottom Line – Despite SAM [Surface-Air Missile] assets on alert throughout July, fighters deployed to Shigatse remained within baseline for the airbase. However, additional platforms deploying to this location should be watched closely as the PLA operationalizes its new theater commands and tensions remain with India.”

A crucial hub
There is no doubt that in the future the Shigatse airport will become a crucial hub.
This seen with the rapid development of the infrastructure (highway, railway line, ‘oil’ road) in Western Tibet, it is something that India should take into consideration.
I shall come back to this in forthcoming posts.

Photos of the Parade in Lhasa on September 26

 

 

 

India, China and the 'long march of deep military reform'

Recent PLA's exercises somewhere in Xinjiang

My article India, China and the 'long march of deep military reform' appeared in The Daily Mail.

Here is the link...

China has a Dream: to ensure economic prosperity, social stability, and a decent life to its citizens, but also to become a powerful nation; in fact it dreams to become one day the most powerful nation of the planet.
Military power will play a crucial role in the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
This explains the in-depth military reforms undertaken by President Xi Jinping a year ago.
China is really serious about this.
On December 5 in Beijing, President Xi Jinping, who is also Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) attended a two-day meeting during which he called for “a smaller army with better combat capability and optimized structure.” Some 230 high-ranking military officials as well as the 11 CMC members were in attendance.
Xi told the generals: “If China is to build a strong world-class army. …We must seize the opportunity and make breakthroughs.”
Xi spoke about the informationized modern warfare and emphasized the importance of joint operations. He called for readjusting and optimizing the military's structure: “new type of forces must be developed, the ratios between different types of forces must be rationalized, and the number and the scale of the military be downsized.” Xi added: “Quantity should be reduced, quality improved to build a capable and efficient modernized standing army."
This raises two important questions. While undertaking these reforms, has China not taken a too large bite, which is now difficult to chew?
The other question is: what does this mean for India?
Xinhua remarked that December 2015 “marked a fresh start in the history of the Chinese Armed Forces, as the nation embarked on a long march of deepening military reform.”
The official news agency added: “China has entered a key stage of transforming itself from a big country to a strong power, which calls for greater courage in advancing military reform.”
On December 31, new services were created, namely, the PLA Army, the PLA Rocket Force and the PLA Strategic Support Force and a few weeks later, the seven erstwhile Military Regions were regrouped into five PLA Theater Commands.
Xinhua admitted: “Despite the remarkable achievements, arduous tasks remain;” therefore, the comparison with the Long March.
The creation of a PLA Strategic Support Force is a plunge into the future as it will deal with cyber and space warfare, probably the keys of tomorrow’s conflicts.
But changing mindsets and controlling vested interests is not an easy proposition. Peter Wood, the Editor of the China Brief of the Jamestown Foundation noted that Chinese publications “calling for the PLA to ‘cast off’ old concepts about the predominance of the Ground Forces are further indication that the transition has not gone smoothly.”
For the new Forces, “to work together in coordinated campaigns also remains a key bottleneck for the PLA,” is not obvious.
This major hurdle is far from being overcome.
Regarding India: it is high time India undertakes reforms, in which the role of the ground forces (Indian Army) need to be rebalanced with the Navy and the Air Force, giving a greater role to ‘informationized warfare’.
There are other issues which need to be reviewed: take for example the appointment of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). In December 2015, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that the post of CDS “could be a reality soon”. He then added that the Prime Minister “marked defence reforms as a priority and stressed that ‘jointness at the top’ was a need long overdue.”
The CDS would coordinate between the three services, the strategic command responsible for the nuclear weapons …and one day, the cyber and space commands.
The creation of a post of CDS was already recommended by a Group of Ministers in 2001. But what happened since then? Practically nothing.
Another example of the apathy of the Indian system is the Indian National Defence University (INDU).
Planned since decades, the government finally approved the setting up of the INDU at an estimated cost of 2.95 billion in Haryana in 2010.
On the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2013, Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne, the then chairman of the chiefs of staff committee asserted that “India needs military leaders who can critically analyse, demonstrate professional acumen and are capable of meeting the threats & challenges at the tactical, operational & strategic levels."
What has happened to the INDU? Lost in the corridors of South Block?
In the meantime, Kanwa Asian Defense, a Chinese-language publication reported that China's military build-up is coming closer to India. 
Beijing's military would have placed more missiles and fighter jets along the Indian border: “The weapons have been deployed in Tibet and in the western region of Xinjiang along with airborne early warning and control systems.”
Kanwa said that Chinese troops have placed the J-11, the J-10 and the Kongjing-500 (airborne early warning and control or AEW&C aircraft) in rotational deployment. The Shenyang J-11 is a twin-engine jet fighter, developed to compete with fourth-generation fighters.
On December 3, 2016, a PLA website showed pictures of airmen “assigned to an aviation regiment under the PLA Western Theater Command performing flight checks on a J-11 fighter jet prior to a round-the-clock flight training exercise under realistic combat environment at a military airfield.”
The airport is located near the Indian border.
Kanwa also said that in Korla (Xinjiang), China may have deployed troops for the launch of midrange ballistic missiles and in Hotan, north of the Aksai Chin, J-10 and H-6K strategic bomber would have been spotted.
Is it not high time for the Indian defence forces to seriously embark on its Long March to modernization?

Exercise of  the Western Theater Command (in Xinjiang)

Photo obviously taken at another location

Troops exercising in Southern Tibet

J-11 fighter planes exercising in Tibet (Western Theater Command)

 

China sends a veiled threat to India

China Tibet Online published a strange photo feature titled, Sacred mountains and lakes witness of China-India relationship.
The article sounds like a warning to India.

The first photo shows the historic Kingdom of Guge in Ngari (Western Tibet). The caption says: “When coming to issues regarding the borderlands between China and India, many people will think about ‘Southern Tibet’ which actually includes Tibet’s Nyingchi, and a part of Lhoka.”
Let us remember that China’s 'Southern Tibet' engulf the entire Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh.
The caption continues: “There is a place which maybe makes India ‘feel restless’, it is the Ngari Prefecture. Many actions that the Chinese government has taken in the Ngari can lead to India’s criticism.”
Why should India feel restless?
Why should India ‘criticizes’ China’s policy in Ngari, considering that it is one areas which has received less attention from Beijing …so far.
There is however no doubt that in the years to come, Lhasa (and Beijing) will develop Western Tibet on a large, bringing millions of tourists with the attendant infrastructure close to India’s borders.

The second picture reinforces the warning.
It shows and artillery regiment practicing in Ngari sub-sector of the Tibet Military Area Command (photo may have been taken somewhere else): “From what can be observed on the map, Ngari is an important gateway in China’s southwestern borderland region. The straight-line distance from the Zhada County [Tsamda Dzong] to India’s capital city of New Delhi is just 500 kilometers, which possesses a very important strategic positioning,” says the article.
It really sounds like a threat.

The third picture shows devotees in the Ganga. The caption says: “Apart from the fact of the close distance, India’s Ganges River, the river that is crucial to India’s life and passes through the most fertile lands and the most populated areas in India, originates from Ngari. In Tibetan language, the upper reaches of the Ganges River are called the “Majiazangbu” [Mabja Tsangpo] which means ‘the peacock river’ [from the peacock’s mouth]”.

Next image shows a statue taken in front of the Kunsha Airport in Ngari “which symbolizes the landmark shapes of the four rivers. There are four big famous rivers in the Ngari area which are respectively named as ‘the Horse-spouted River’ [Brahmaputra], ‘the Lion-spouted River’ [Indus], ‘the Elephant-spouted River’ [Sutlej] and ‘the Peacock River’ [Ganga], according to the shapes of the headwater mountains.”
What is the message for India?
There is no doubt that in controlling the rivers of Tibet, China has a great advantage on the downstream nations, India in particular.
India knows it and has to live with it, while reminding China from time to time, that these rivers are ‘shared’ resources, not belonging to the upstream State only.

Then a picture a hydro-power station on the Indus, near Ngari town; the article comments: “The four big rivers are the headwaters of China’s Yarlungzangbo [Yarlung Tsangpo or Brahmaputra] River as well as India’s Ganges River and Indus River. India used to criticize China constructing hydro-power stations.”
China does not ‘criticizes’ China, but just wants to be informed on what is going on ‘shared’ rivers, which are not the unique property of China.

The next photo depicts a beautiful highway in Ngari area: “As an important passageway in the southwestern border area, Ngari has been developing rapidly in recent years. The state has continuously established infrastructure in Ngari including transportation, hydro stations, communication etc.”
There is no doubt that in the next 5 years, China will concentrate its energies in developing Western Tibet with serious implications for the security of India’s borders. I already mentioned on the blog, the improvement of the NH219, the ‘Aksai Chin road’ connecting Western Tibet and Xinjiang, which has already started.
It seems to be ‘the priority’ for the Lhasa government, now lead by Wu Yingjie, but also for a restructured PLA.
Let us not forget that the entire Tibetan plateau is now under ONE Command, the Western Theater Command and the powers of the Tibet Military Command have been greatly enhanced in the recent months.

Then there is a photo of Mount Kailash. The caption notes: “The Chinese government always advocates for a good direction for the relationship between the two countries. China and India have a long friendship history especially with exchanges in the regard of Buddhism. ‘The sacred mountain’ within Ngari, Mount Kailash, is also considered to be at the center of the world by Tibetan Buddhism, Hinduism, the Tibetan Bon religion as well as ancient Jain.”

Amazingly, one gets to see Shiva, “Kailash is the resident place of the highest god, Shiva, who is regarded as the ‘destroying god in Hinduism. The third eye on the forehead of Shiva can spit out flames that turn everything on Earth into ashes.”
Though it is good that China admits that the ‘highest Indian god’ resides in Tibet/China, it is a bit surprising to see the masala, of military, infrastructure and religious pictures in the same article.
Then there is a photo of pilgrims performing the parikrama around the Kailash “always surrounded by white clouds which makes it very difficult to see its real look. Every year the faithful Buddhist pilgrims from India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibetan-inhabited areas in China come to the foot of the sacred mountain. They circle the mountain, knock their heads on the ground and pray, all is for the purpose of receiving providence and being able to see the mountain peak,” says the China Tibet Online.
Incidentally, the same article appeared in Chinese, but without the photos (at least the article I saw).

You can’t have Kailash without the Manasarovar; the website explains: “To the south of Mount Kailash, there is a sacred lake called Lake Manasarovar which is also considered as the resident place of gods by the religious followers. The lake water is formed by the melted snows of Mount Kailash which runs in different directions, therein forming the Horse-spouted River in the east [Brahmaputra], the Peacock-spouted River in the south [Ganga], the Elephant-spouted River [Sutlej] in the west and the Lion-spouted River in the north [Indus]."
The last picture shows Indian pilgrims at Nathu-la (Sikkim) on their way to the Holy Mountain, “after they circle Mount Kailash they will come to the lake to bath, and in this they purify their souls and wash away sins.”

This type masala (military, religion, diplomacy, etc.) is rare in the Chinese press.
The article definitively contains a veiled threat to India: China is going to develop the area on a mega scale, and India should not feel 'restless' about it and should not ‘criticize’ China.
The message is perhaps: India should feel restless.
Coincidentally, China Military Online announced that General Fan Changlong, the senior vice chairman of China's Central Military Commission (CMC) recently visited the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the Tibet Autonomous Region.
During his ‘inspection to frontier defense units’, he urged the PLA troops to resolutely safeguard the security and stability of China's western border areas. The general visited the troops stationed in Hotan, Ngari and Shigatse, “where he talked with soldiers, inspected defense facilities and logistics support conditions of the companies. “
Speaking to the troops, he said that with harsh natural conditions, the Western Theater Command is undertaking arduous and heavy tasks.”
He mentioned “the construction of installations and facilities for war preparation, training and living in frontier defense units should be accelerated."
He was accompanied by General Xu Fenlin, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department, Lt Gen Liu Lei, Political Commissar of PLA Army, and Gen Zhao Zongqi, commander of the Western Theater Command. Though not mentioned Lt Gen Xu Yong, the boss of the Tibet Military Command must have been around.
Is it another message for India?