China has stripped General Zhao Zongqi, the former PLA Western Theatre Command chief who oversaw the 2017 Doklam standoff and the 2020 Galwan clash, of his top political posts, India Today reported.

His removal is part of Xi Jinping’s sweeping purge of the PLA, which has already seen 101 senior officers dismissed or disappear.

General Zhao Zongqi has been removed from the Standing Committee of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). He was also dismissed as deputy director of its Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee and stripped of his CPPCC membership. Beijing offered no explanation for the move and did not announce any investigation against him.

Zhao commanded the PLA’s Western Theatre Command, which controls operations across Tibet, Xinjiang, and much of China’s border with India. He was the first commander of the reorganised theatre in 2016. His tenure included two of the most serious India-China confrontations in recent years.

The Doklam standoff began in June 2017 when Chinese troops attempted to extend a road across disputed territory near the India-Bhutan-China trijunction. Indian soldiers intervened, leading to a tense 72-day face-off. Zhao was considered the principal PLA figure responsible for China’s military posture during this episode.

In May 2020, under Zhao’s command, PLA troops massed along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. On 15 June, Indian and Chinese soldiers clashed in the Galwan Valley using stones, rods, and improvised weapons. Twenty Indian soldiers were killed. China officially acknowledged four PLA deaths, but later investigations suggested at least 38 Chinese fatalities, pointing to a cover-up.

A US intelligence assessment cited by ANI in 2020 alleged that Zhao personally authorised the Galwan operation to “teach India a lesson.” The assessment suggested the move was intended to show strength against India and the United States.

Zhao was replaced as Western Theatre commander in December 2020 after reaching retirement age. His removal from political office nearly six years later marks a dramatic reversal for a general once central to China’s military posture against India.

The purge has not been limited to Zhao. On 28 August 2026, senior generals Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli were removed from the state Central Military Commission following investigations into suspected “serious violations of discipline and law.” Their removal left only two active members, including Xi Jinping, on a body that once had seven.

Xi’s anti-corruption campaign, launched in 2012, has been described by experts as a purge. A February 2026 assessment by the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that 101 senior PLA officers had been dismissed or had disappeared, affecting about 52% of China’s military leadership.

Xi has urged Communist Party leaders to intensify the fight against corruption in the armed forces, signalling that the campaign will continue.

Zhao’s downfall highlights the extraordinary upheaval within the PLA’s senior ranks. His removal underscores Xi’s determination to consolidate control, eliminate perceived disloyalty, and reshape the military leadership—even at the cost of side-lining figures who played pivotal roles in China’s confrontations with India.

Agencies