Doklam, Galwan commander Zhao Zongqi removed from China’s top advisory body

New Delhi: China has removed General Zhao Zongqi, the former commander of the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) Western Theatre Command during the 2017 Doklam standoff and the 2020 Galwan Valley clash with India, from the country's top political advisory body.

Zhao has been stripped of his membership of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and relieved of two other posts, according to media reports. Beijing has not given a reason for his removal or announced any investigation against him.

The development has fuelled speculation that Zhao could be the latest senior military figure caught up in Chinese President Xi Jinping's years-long purge of the PLA.

Zhao headed the Western Theatre Command, which oversees Chinese military operations across Tibet and Xinjiang and along a large portion of China's border with India.

He was in command when Indian and Chinese troops remained locked in a 72-day standoff at Doklam in 2017. Zhao continued to head the command when tensions escalated in eastern Ladakh in May 2020, eventually leading to the deadly Galwan Valley clash the following month.

ANI reported in 2020, citing a US intelligence assessment, that Zhao authorised the Galwan operation to "teach India a lesson".

Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in the Galwan clash. China officially acknowledged four PLA deaths, although subsequent investigations reported a significantly higher Chinese death toll and alleged a cover-up.

Zhao's removal comes amid a wider shake-up in China's military leadership. China has also removed two senior generals, Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli, from the state Central Military Commission following investigations into suspected "serious violations of discipline and law", Reuters reported.

Xi's anti-corruption campaign, launched in 2012, has resulted in scores of senior military officers being investigated, removed or expelled. Experts have described the campaign as a purge within the PLA.

Zhao's removal, however, has not been accompanied by any official explanation, leaving his current status and the reasons behind the action unclear.