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Western Theater Command

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Western Theater Command
西部战区
Founded1 February 2016; 8 years ago (2016-02-01)
Country People's Republic of China
Allegiance Chinese Communist Party
TypeTheater Command
RoleCommand and control
Part of People's Liberation Army
HeadquartersChengdu, Sichuan
WebsiteOfficial website (in English)
Commanders
CommanderGeneral Wang Haijiang
Political CommisarGeneral Li Fengbiao
Chief of StaffGeneral Zhang Jian
Insignia
Sleeve insignia

The Western Theater Command (Chinese: 西部战区; pinyin: Xībù zhànqū) is one of the five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army, founded on 1 February 2016.

Its jurisdiction includes Sichuan, Tibet, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Chongqing.[1] Guizhou is also sometimes listed as part of the command.[1] Its current commander since August 2021 is General Wang Haijiang.[2] Its current political commissar is General Li Fengbiao.

In May 2016, the PRC raised the rank and status of its western Tibet Military Command to widen its scope for missions and combat preparedness, in a move analysts in Beijing said was aimed in part at fortifying the border with India.[3] The Xinjiang Military Command may also be elevated in the future, the report said. Both commands are under the newly created Western Theater Command, the largest of five newly reorganised military regions of the PLA. The Chinese Communist Party-run tabloid Global Times reported the change would allow the command “to shoulder more combat assignments”.[3]

Area of Responsibility (AOR)

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Map of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with disputed areas claimed by China shown in blue.
Map of Tibet Autonomous Region with disputed areas claimed by China shown in blue.

Western Theater Command's Area of Responsibility (AOR) consists of India, South Asia, Central Asia, Western Mongolia, Pakistan and Afghanistan

Organizational structure

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The Western Theater Command consists of the following components:

Official hymn

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Released on 4 November 2020, the Western Theater Command released "The Battle Hymn of the Western Theater Command" (Chinese: 西部战区战歌; pinyin: Xībù zhànqū zhàngē) with lyrics written by the then commander of the Western Theater Command, General Zhao Zongqi and music composed by Luan Kai.[4]

List of leaders

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Commanders

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English name Chinese name Took office Left office Notes
Zhao Zongqi 赵宗岐 February 2016 December 2020
Zhang Xudong 张旭东 December 2020 June 2021
Xu Qiling 徐起零 June 2021 August 2021
Wang Haijiang 汪海江 August 2021 Incumbent

Political commissars

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English name Chinese name Took office Left office Notes
Zhu Fuxi 朱福熙 February 2016 January 2017
Wu Shezhou 吴社洲 January 2017 June 2021
Li Fengbiao 李凤彪 June 2021 Incumbent

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Sumit Ganguly; Andrew Scobell; Joseph Chinyong Liow, eds. (2017). The Routledge Handbook of Asian Security Studies. Routledge. ISBN 978-1315455631. Archived from the original on July 30, 2022. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
  2. ^ "Chinese President Xi appoints new General for PLA's Western Theatre Command amidst Ladakh standoff". economictimes. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Eye on India, China raises Tibet military command rank | Central Tibetan Administration". tibet.net. Archived from the original on November 7, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  4. ^ "[军事报道]西部战区官方公众号上线 首日推出《西部战区战歌》" [[Military Report] "Western Theater War Song" was launched on the first day of the official public account of the Western Theater]. China Central Television (in Chinese). November 4, 2020.

Further reading

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