Chinese President Xi Meets Pla Troops Connected With Ladakh Standoff During His Xinjiang Tour

Chinese President Xi Jinping this week met soldiers and officers of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) stationed in the restive Xinjiang province bordering Ladakh and praised them for protecting the troubled province. Xi Jinping, the head of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the highest high command of the Chinese military, met officials and military representatives posted in the provincial capital of Urumqi on Friday. Xi visited the frontier province of Xinjiang from July 12 to 15, where his government has been accused of widespread atrocities against minority Muslims. He congratulated all army commanders and fighters stationed in the province and fully reaffirmed the “outstanding contribution” made by troops stationed in the region, state-controlled Xinhua news agency reported.

In the pictures released by the official media, it can be seen that PLA Regimental Commander Qi Faibao, who was injured during clashes in Eastern Ladakh in June 2020, was also present at the meeting. He was later awarded the Hero Regimental Commander for the Defense of the Border. The meeting was also attended by top officials of the PLA’s Western Theater Command, which oversees the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control between India and China. Full details of Xi Jinping’s address have not been released. However, official media reports said that President Xi insisted on implementing the ruling Communist Party’s idea of ​​strengthening the military in the new era, implementing a new age military strategy, and promoting social and long-term stability in Xinjiang. It is necessary to actively contribute to the promotion. Xi’s meeting with the troops assumes significance as the Xinjiang Military Command of the People’s Liberation Amy (PLA) has been overseeing the India-China border in the Ladakh region amid a military standoff between the two sides since May 2020. His meeting with Chinese troops in Xinjiang comes ahead of the 16th round of military talks between India and China on Sunday.

India has been pressing for an early withdrawal of troops from all friction points in eastern Ladakh, stressing that peace along the border is a necessary condition for progress in bilateral ties. On 15 June 2020, 20 Indian soldiers were martyred in the bloody conflict of Galwan Valley. Then China did not share the death toll of its soldiers. However, for a long time, China had accepted the casualties of four soldiers on its side.

In the 16th round of meeting on Sunday, India is expected to address the issues in Depsang and Demchok besides pressurizing all remaining friction points to withdraw troops at the earliest. As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the process of separation in the northern and southern shores of Pangong Lake and the Gogra region last year. Both sides currently have around 50,000 to 60,000 troops deployed in the sensitive mountainous region along the LAC.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping this week met soldiers and officers of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) stationed in the restive Xinjiang province bordering Ladakh and praised them for protecting the troubled province.