New commander takes control of PLA's elite 13th Group Army
PLA reshuffle sees Major General Wang Kai to take over as head of the Chongqing-based army unit dubbed 'Tiger in the mountains'
Major General Wang Kai has been promoted to the rank of Commander of the elite 13th Group Army of the People’s Liberation Army, state media reported on Wednesday.
The 13th Group Army is one of the most famous in China. Together with the 14th Group Army, it operates under the administration of the Chengdu Military Command, with its headquarters in the southwestern municipality of Chongqing.
Wang was previously the Chief of Staff for the PLA 14th Group Army.
Chongqing has become a politically sensitive place since the downfall of former party head Bo Xilai.
The central government has allocated three Central Party Committee members places on the municipality’s decision-making body, a rare political move in China. The only other provincial-level administration equipped with the same number of political heavyweights is Guangdong province, the bridgehead of China’s economic reforms.
Wang, along with other senior officers of the 13th Group Army, waved goodbye to retired soldiers at a train station in the city of Chongqing on Monday, state media reported.
