China appoints new army commander to Tibet region from elite ‘Tiger in the mountains’ force

Name: Desolate army patrols along China’s Qinghai-Tibet Railway and Highway
Uploaded: 2021-04-29T13:00:41.000Z
Duration: 1 min 27 s
Description: Desolate army patrols along China’s Qinghai-Tibet Railway and Highway

Wang Kai formerly led the 13th Group Army, a unit that specialises in fighting in tough landscapes, says local media

Military observer says Beijing needs an experienced commander to supervise the region and keep the Chinese border safe

2-MIN READ2-MIN

China has appointed Wang Kai as army commander in the Tibet military region. Wang previously led China’s 13th Army Group. Photo: Handout

Kristin Huang

Published: 9:00pm, 29 Apr 2021Updated: 9:13pm, 29 Apr 2021

China has appointed a new commander in the Tibet military region from an army group with decades of fighting experience, according to the official military social media account.

Lieutenant General Wang Kai appeared in a Communist Party history education class on Monday as the new commander of the Tibet military region, under the Western Theatre Command, China’s largest military area.

The party history education programme is a nationwide campaign for the party’s centenary and is meant to foster allegiance to China’s ruling party.

Before Wang Kai, the position was held by Wang Haijiang who is now a government official in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, according to Chinese media reports.

01:27

Desolate army patrols along China’s Qinghai-Tibet Railway and Highway

The significant Chinese army promotion for Wang Kai’s comes after he took control of China’s elite 13th Group Army eight years ago.