General Zhao Zongqi the outgoing, Western Theatre Commander of PLA
Posted on 12/30/2020 3:41:47 PM PST by TigerLikesRoosterNew
In New Delhi, the change of guard in the leadership of the Western Theatre Command raised hope that the replacement of General Zhao may not be as aggressively anti-Indian as his predecessor
Chinese President Xi Jinping has sacked General Zhao Zongqi, the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) powerful Western Theatre Commander responsible for the ongoing military standoff with India in eastern Ladakh. General Zhang Xudong has been picked as his replacement, a commander who has never served along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
General Zhao: Brain behind Doklam and Ladakh standoff
In New Delhi, the change of guard in the leadership of the Western Theatre Command raised hope that the replacement of General Zhao may not be as aggressive anti-India as his predecessor. Gen Zhao was seen as a hawk against India and Bhutan, who had also orchestrated the 2017 Doklam dispute with India. It is pertinent to note that this is the first appointment in PLA history that a commander has been appointed at the helm of Western Theatre Command without having experience of serving on the Indian border.
General Zhao Zongqi the outgoing, Western Theatre Commander of PLA
As per a report in Hindustan Times, General Zhang is 58 is much younger than the outgoing General Zhao, who was supposed to retire at 65 earlier this year but was given an extension by President Xi himself. One of the Indian military commanders said, "The tone and demeanor of the PLA commander during the next military commanders' meeting would throw some light on the complex undercurrents in the PLA." Taking a cautious approach the commander also added, "We are keeping our fingers crossed."
General Zhao Zongqi, Western Theatre Commander with then Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag in 2016.
Experts on China have contested that there was no evidence to show that, unlike his predecessor, General Zhang had any political aspirations and was supposed to take professional merit judgments. Gen Zhao, who was a member of the central committee of the Communist Party, was considered to be fishing for a seat on the Central Military Commission that would have allowed him to serve until the age of 72.
General Zhang Xudong, the incoming Western Theatre Commander of PLA
As per India's assessment, Gen Zhao had the backing of the Xi-led Central Military Commission when PLA soldiers came deep inside India in the Finger area near Pangong Tso in late April and early May. But the clashes at the Patrol point 14 in Galwan valley that claimed the lives of 20 Indian soldiers and an unconfirmed number of PLA soldiers led to some discomfort. In May, the Indian Army reported large scale incursion by the PLA in Depsang plains, Pangong area, and Galwan valley.
“Sacked.” Is that the Chinese word for “Erased?
I’d urge extreme caution on this.
China may just have moved a known thug into the mix.
My take is that China wasn’t unhappy with the last guy, other
than that he didn’t make India pay enough by now.
This new guy may be someone they can count on to do just that.
If he tries it, I hope China gets its ass kicked.
China, pull your head out of your ass and start living
peaceably with your neighbors.
Nobody has desires on your land. Try using that as a model.
Xi is another of what we have seen without relief throughout the ages: an evil, vicious, powermad psychopath. Whoever he appoints will only be doing what Xi wants. The only thing that will stop Xi will be either he drops dead or a coup takes him out. Psychos never change their lust for power.
Xi is another of what we have seen without relief throughout the ages: an evil, vicious, powermad psychopath. Whoever he appoints will only be doing what Xi wants. The only thing that will stop Xi will be either he drops dead or a coup takes him out. Psychos never change their lust for power.
Sorry for double post.
When spring comes and weather gets warmer, they probably resume their usual routine: skirmish and hopefully gaining new territory less than a mile from their last border.
No problem.
No problem.
“India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border.”
— Hu Shih, former Chinese ambassador to the United States
They were so pervasive that some Chinese scholars started to resent them. They created new philosophy called Neo-Confucianism to counter Buddhism. It is not that Confucianism was completely eclipsed. It was a practical political doctrine to rule the country and a kind of social ethics
Xi is another of what we have seen without relief throughout the ages: an evil, vicious, powermad psychopath
—
Wait until you see President Harris ...
RE: “India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border.”
And how long did it take for the German, Karl Marx’s ideas to dominate China?
[And how long did it take for the German, Karl Marx’s ideas to dominate China?]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Turban_Rebellion#Religious_practices
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Way_of_the_Five_Pecks_of_Rice
Marxism has very shallow roots in China, and currently exists in name only, given all the corporations, both private and state-owned, that are run for profit (i.e. using market signals) rather than by cadres mapping out production targets based off “scientific” Marxism. Similarly, Xi is a communist ruler in name only - in reality, he’s an emperor, much like the one who ruled just a century before. The only thing lacking is hereditary succession, although that may still be ahead, through Xi’s daughter.
his service ribbons are mostly time of service ribbons and many are duplicate the only one i can't figure out is the rainbow colored one on the bottom row
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders,_decorations,_and_medals_of_China
Despite Cultural Revolution and other attempt to wipe out previous Chinese history, some of past legacies so deep-rooted and pervasive that they can't be eradicated.
These days Chinese are competing for who can build a bigger Buddha statue and temple. Xi may want to rein in it and replace the statue with his portrait, but it won't last.
[In the context of Chinese history, Chinse communist revolution is a peasant rebellion which actually succeeded.]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Gaozu_of_Han
I know. Many failed and some succeeded. Odds of success are low, though. By success, I mean that the rebels actually take power and create a new dynasty. In many cases, the rebellion succeeds but somebody else gets to enjoy its fruits. It is not uncommon that leaders of the rebellion could be charged with treason and executed.
[I know. Many failed and some succeeded. Odds of success are low, though. By success, I mean that the rebels actually take power and create a new dynasty. In many cases, the rebellion succeeds but somebody else gets to enjoy its fruits. It is not uncommon that leaders of the rebellion could be charged with treason and executed.]
This fear isn’t irrational, given that China’s wealthy are now rich beyond the imaginations of their predecessors. Jack Ma (the guy behind China’s Amazon counterpart, Alibaba) alone is worth $57b.
There’s this mistaken perception that China is a mass of obedient drones in thrall to whomever is chief at any given time. This is a clear case of who you’re gonna believe - the narrative or your lyin’ eyes. As pointed out above, over a century before Spartacus, a jumped-up peasant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Gaozu_of_Han joined an uprising against the First Emperor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang, whose idea of collectivism was that everyone should join together to help him unify the known world under his rule.
Were the rebels one big, happy family? No. They slaughtered each other even while fighting the ancien regime and continued this endeavor after the regime was toppled. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chu%E2%80%93Han_Contention https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_Xin#Service_during_the_Western_Han_dynasty https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peng_Yue#Death
Was the First Emperor’s ancien regime one big, happy family? No. There were multiple assassination attempts against him. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang#Third_attempted_assassination He died of poisoning, allegedly while trying out a potion that promised him eternal life. Or was he deliberately poisoned? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qin_Shi_Huang#Elixir_of_life And after the First Emperor’s death, his closest advisor, the head eunuch, killed *two* of his sons - the putative heir apparent *and* a (puppet) child emperor that this eunuch appointed as a successor to the imperial line. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Gao#Coup_following_Qin_Shi_Huang‘s_death Did the regime’s remnants “unify” under this eunuch? No - they fought a knock-down-drag-out war against each other even while fighting the rebels who were out for their heads.
China has always been a seething mass of individual ambition. Elite struggles for power have been part and parcel of historical chronicles outside of China. What’s unique about China, IMHO, is that the ambition goes all the way down to the lowliest peasant. The peasant rebel mentioned above joined a mass revolt, vaulted to the top by (1) playing a secondary role in defeating the ancien regime and (2) wiping out the players who played the primary role, then established a regime that lasted 400 years (with an interruption caused by an ambitious courtier who revolted and set himself up as emperor), thanks to his precaution of either forcibly retiring or killing the military commanders (each of whom had their own agendas, much like term-limited Roman consuls) who had brought him to power.
At the slightest opportunity, charismatic men possessed of organizational skills have repeatedly rallied large numbers to their banners and either established new regimes, or come within striking distance, doing great damage, and paving the way for the next challenger to finish the job. That is why Chinese rulers are never at ease - the principal lesson of Chinese history is that the smallest spark could set off a nationwide conflagration.
It is raw individual ambition, not collectivism, that sets the Chinese experience apart, no matter how much regime propaganda over thousands of years keeps trying to convince the population that they are mere cogs in a machine. Overwhelming regime power convinces the hoi polloi that they should observe the forms of obedience - by not overtly criticizing the regime or opposing it. But in the background, they are bribing officials for relief against tyrannical impositions, evading tax payments and the draft and generally skirting the law to the extent prudent. And when their moment comes - they join general risings and attempt to elevate themselves to the top ahead of everyone else around them.
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