(Bloomberg) -- China installed a new army commander for its southern region, an unexpected move that comes after recent clashes in the South China Sea inflamed tensions with the US and its allies.
General Wu Yanan has been appointed to head the Southern Theater Command, a Chinese state media report revealed Wednesday by referring to him by that title. Wu, born in Aug 1962, has experience in the ground forces and previously served as commander of the Central Theater Command responsible for defending Beijing.
The Southern Theater Command oversees military strategy in the South China Sea, where Beijing’s sweeping territorial claims have been disputed by its neighbors. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been pushing back against China’s stake over nearly all of the water, and bolstering military cooperation with the US.
Wu replaces 60-year-old Wang Xiubin. While there are no tenure limits for commanders, Wang’s two predecessors stepped down at the de facto retirement age of 65.
No official reason has been given for his departure, nor next steps for the general. Wang was first revealed as the Southern Theater Command chief in July 2021, when he was being promoted to general. He last appeared in public in that capacity in April, when he met with visiting French officials.
China’s military celebrates its 97th anniversary Thursday, after a tumultuous year. The world’s biggest troop by the number of active personnel has been mired in corruption scandals that impacted officials up to former Defense Minister Li Shangfu and ex-navy commander of Southern Theater Command Ju Xinchun.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for greater efforts to build a border defense system at a meeting this week, amid disputes with India and at the South China Sea. Beijing also expanded its export curbs on drones Wednesday, as Washington threatens China with sanctions over supplying Moscow with dual-use items that it says are bolstering Russia’s battlefield efforts in Ukraine.
(Updates with more context throughout.)
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