JOIN USPLA crossed Xi brief during visit
An unusual statement by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) reasserting President Xi Jinping’s authority over the military has fuelled speculation that the continuing standoff between the border guards of India and China is a result of the PLA’s unauthorised actions.
“All PLA forces should follow the instructions of President Xi Jinping, (who is) also chairman of the Central Military Commission,” the PLA said in a statement.
The PLA chiefs of staff had a meeting in Beijing on Sunday to discuss ways to “improve efficiency of the military command under new circumstances,” a report by China’s state-run news agency Xinhua stated.
The Xinhua also reported that the Chinese president stressed on the loyalty of the PLA headquarters to the Communist Party of China. “Headquarters of PLA forces must have absolute loyalty and firm faith in the Communist Party of China, guarantee a smooth chain of command and make sure all decisions from the central leadership are fully implemented,” Xi was quoted by Xinhua.
Indian officials took note of the statement and the Chinese president’s remark, which was unprecedented and reiterated obvious and well-known facts in the Communist country.
Sources told Deccan Herald that New Delhi’s interlocutors had got a whiff of similar lack of coordination in the Chinese government when they had been communicating with their counterparts in Beijing during a standoff at Depsang Bulge, Ladakh, in April-May 2013, ahead of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s visit.
“They either really have a problem in the system, or they just want us to believe that,” said an official.
The PLA statement came soon after Xi’s visit to India, where his meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi were overshadowed by PLA incursions across the Line of Actual Control. Modi conveyed to Xi his serious concerns over the transgression by the PLA. Xi is understood to have assured Modi that he would check with the PLA top brass and order a retreat.
Though Modi discussed the issue once again with Xi during formal parleys on Thursday, the standoff continued fuelling speculation that the PLA was refusing to retreat despite orders. The PLA statement also had no reference to the continuing standoff between border guards of India and China.