China appoints new army commander to Tibet region from elite ‘Tiger in the mountains’ force

[FOOLS_NIGHTMARE]

• Wang Kai formerly led the 13th Group Army, a unit that specialises in fighting in tough landscapes, says local media
• Military observer says Beijing needs an experienced commander to supervise the region and keep the Chinese border safe

​

China has appointed Wang Kai as army commander in the Tibet military region. Wang previously led China’ Army Group. Photo: Handout
China has appointed a new commander in the Tibet military region from an army group with decades of fighting experience, according to the official military social media account.

Lieutenant General Wang Kai appeared in a Communist Party history education class on Monday as the new commander of the Tibet military region, under the Western Theatre Command, China’s largest military area.

The party history education programme is a nationwide campaign for the party’s centenary and is meant to foster allegiance to China’s ruling party.
Before Wang Kai, the position was held by Wang Haijiang who is now a government official in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, according to Chinese media reports.


The significant Chinese army promotion for Wang Kai’s comes after he took control of China’s elite 13th Group Army eight years ago.

​

Dubbed “Tiger in the mountains”, the Chongqing-based 13th Group Army was one of the most famous army units in China, specialising in fighting in tough landscapes, such as mountains, highlands and tropical jungles, according to local media.

The 13th Group Army was regarded as the only Chinese force to have taken part in combat missions since 1949. It has the most battle honours of any Chinese group army since the Korean war in the 1950s.

The army can trace its lineage back to the 1930s through part of the Taiyue Military District in central China. It was adapted from the former 13th and 50th armies in 1985. The 13th Group Army became part of the new 77th Group Army in 2017.

Most of its troops are believed to be in Yunnan province as its major tasks include ensuring the stability of Tibet and guarding China’s borders with India and Vietnam. It took part in the crackdown on riots in Tibet and skirmishes on the border with India.

Its former commanders include General Zhang Youxia, the second-ranked vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, the Chinese military’s highest decision-making body.

Zhao Zongqi was also a commander of this unit, before he became commander of the Western Theatre Command in February 2016. During his term in the Western Theatre, he oversaw China’s response to the

Song Zhongping, a former instructor with the China’s People’s Liberation Army, said Wang Kai’s promotion was related to his rich combat experience, as the Tibet region was an area of concern for Beijing.

“Beijing needs an experienced commander to supervise this region and keep the Chinese border safe, preventing another deadly conflict like the one [in Ladakh] that happened last year,” said Song, adding the promotion is also linked to a person’s past working experience and performance.

China and India have been locked in a tense border stand-off in the Himalayas since early May. The dispute escalated in June when 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese troops were killed in a violent brawl in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh – their most serious military clash in more than half a century. But Zhou Chenming, a Beijing based military analyst, said the appointment was just a normal reshuffle of personnel according to age and speciality, and should not be over interpreted. The 58-year-old Wang Kai was awarded the title National Model for his work in the aftermath of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

China appoints new army commander to Tibet region from elite force

Wang Kai formerly led the 13th Group Army, a unit that specialises in fighting in tough landscapes, says local media.

www.scmp.com