Not necessarily. On the Abrams the gunner and tank commander are on the turret right side [facing forward] but the Soviet practice [and past Chinese tanks have been based on Soviet designs] reversed the positions and eliminated the loader with an autoloader setup in everything since the T62. Yep, I'd bet the 12,7 roof gun is a remote-controlled setup similar to our CROWS unit for the .50 M2, but it may not be the commander who operates it in overwatch- the TC has to be inside playing with the computerized rangefinders and weather station, communicating with his crew, his platoon and his higher element, and whatever the Chinese have worked up along the lines of a Blue Force tracker, lest he receive an unwanted drone strike from a Hellfiresky, or the real thing.
All that stuff on the undercarriage looks like a mount to me - to connect to a mine roller or plow.
I'd wonder too if that turret shape might be a setup to receive modular ammunition resupply under armour, similar to what we had in mind for the Crusader/AFAS 155mm SP howitzer until that idea went away. The front attachments also offer the question as to whether or not the thing has an underbelly crew escape hatch at the driver's position, something the Abrams lacks.
