Xi Jinping appoints rising star to head India-China border

TIL Desk/World/Beijing/ China’s new army commander Lt Gen Xu Qiling, who will head the Western Theatre Command ground forces responsible for the Sino-India border, is a rising star in the People’s Liberation Army specially handpicked by President Xi Jinping to handle troops along the challenging border, a media report said.

Gen Xu’s appointment was announced on June 5 in the midst of the current standoff between Indian and Chinese troops long the Line of Actual Control. Xi, who heads the ruling Communist Party of China besides Presidency, is also the Chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission which is People’s Liberation Army’s high command.             

Gen Xu, the rising star of the PLA, has been sent to oversee the ground forces of the Western Theatre Command, where tensions are rising between China and India over border dispute.  “As tensions with India are escalating over border disputes, the Western Theatre Command needs a younger commander to lead frontier soldiers and officers in this current sensitive period, the Post quoted a military insider as saying.