CHINA-INDIA: US NEWSPAPER CITES US INTELLIGENCE SOURCES SAYING PLA WESTERN THEATRE COMMANDER GENERAL ZHAO ZONGQI APPROVED ACTION AT GALWAN VALLEY ON JUNE 15

Writing in US News on June 23, 2020, Paul D. Shinkman claimed that according to a U.S. intelligence assessment senior Chinese General Zhao Zongqi, head of the PLA Western Theater Command, authorized his forces to attack Indian troops in the Galwan River valley last week, resulting in a brutal skirmish that killed dozens and dramatically escalated tensions between the two Asian powerhouses. He added that Zhao Zongqi, who has overseen prior standoffs with India, has previously expressed concerns that China must not appear weak to avoid exploitation by the United States and its allies, including in New Delhi and saw the faceoff last week as a way to "teach India a lesson." Shinkman added that US analysts say it's clear the incident did not pan out as China intended, not in the least because its state media outlets have all but erased the incident from their pages in the week since it took place. The US believes Western Theatre Commander Zhao Zongqi held a memorial service for the PLA soldiers who died in the incident – an occasion that would normally attract some form of state-sponsored publicity. Instead, Chinese censors have since cracked down on social media posts about the incident, including ones that mention "defeat" and "humiliation" when describing the dead or injured Chinese troops.





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