Navy man tipped to command PLA’s key southern region
Sources say vice admiral is front runner to head strategic southern command, which would break with a long PLA tradition favouring the army
The PLA is set to break with a long-standing tradition if a proposal to appoint a naval officer to head its strategic southern command is adopted, four independent sources said.
The proposed reshuffle at the helm of the Southern Theatre Command, which is responsible for the South China Sea and the PLA South Sea Fleet, also underscores the rising importance of the navy in the Chinese military and the decline of its army-centric doctrine under an overhaul begun by President Xi Jinping last year.
It also comes at a time the military is considering the successor to its naval chief, Admiral Wu Shengli, who is to retire.
“The main tasks and future missions of the Southern Theatre Command all focus on naval operations, especially in the South China Sea region, where a key base for China’s nuclear-powered submarines is based,” a Beijing-based retired senior colonel said.
“The commander [of the Southern Theatre Command] should have experience of strategic deployment of warships, and knowledge of joint operations among different forces like marine corps aviation, the air force and the rocket force. A commander with a land force background is unable to adapt to the modern warfare situation.”