General Zhao Zongqi | |
|---|---|
赵宗岐 | |
_(cropped).jpg) Zhao Zongqi in 2016 | |
| Commander of theWestern Theater Command | |
| In office February 2016 – December 2020 | |
| Preceded by | New title |
| Succeeded by | Zhang Xudong |
| Commander of theJinan Military Region | |
| In office November 2012 – January 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Fan Changlong |
| Succeeded by | Ji Wenming |
| Chief of Staff of the Jinan Military Region | |
| In office December 2007 – November 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Zhang Hetian |
| Succeeded by | Ma Yiming |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 1955 (age 70) Bin County,Heilongjiang, China |
| Political party | Chinese Communist Party |
| Alma mater | PLA Information Engineering University PLA National Defence University |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  People's Republic of China |
| Branch/service |  People's Liberation Army Ground Force |
| Years of service | 1970–2021 |
| Rank |  General |
Zhao Zongqi (Chinese:赵宗岐;pinyin:Zhào Zōngqí; born 1955) is a general (shang jiang) of thePeople's Liberation Army (PLA) of China and a former Commander of theWestern Theater Command.
Zhao was born inBin County,Heilongjiang province. He joined the army in December 1970 and was assigned to the 118th Regiment of the40th Division of the14th Army stationed in theYunnan border area. During this period, he served as the reconnaissancesquad leader, actingplatoon leader, and regiment reconnaissancestaff officer. Later, he participated in the Western Front of theSino-Vietnamese War as a reconnaissance team member, infiltrating 10 kilometers deep to collect intelligence and assisting the 40th Division in thebattle of Lao Cai. After the war, he was promoted to the reconnaissance department of the 40th Division for his meritorious service. In the subsequentSino-Vietnamese conflicts of 1979–1991, he led his team to support the 31st Division of the 14th Army on the Yunnan border area with Vietnam.[1][2][3]
After theMillion Disarmament [zh], he was transferred from the division to head the 118th Regiment. From 1986 to November 1988, he was transferred to the Institute of Foreign Languages at theNational University of Defense Technology to study Arabic. After graduation, he went to theChinese Embassy in Tanzania and served as a military attaché in Tanzania. He returned to China in August 1991 and served as the deputy chief of staff of the 40th Division of the 14th Group Army.[4][3][2]
In April 1992, he was transferred to theTibet Military District as the commander of the 52nd Mountain Infantry Brigade. The 52nd Brigade was one of the first division-to-brigade units in the People's Liberation Army. He was stationed in Tibet until 2003 to manage the 52nd Brigade. During this period, he insisted on strengthening the construction ofborder outposts inTibet (Sino-Indian border dispute), advocated large-scale military training within the army and improved the combat readiness and exercise capabilities of the 52nd Brigade. In 1998, he was promoted to deputy chief of staff of the Tibet Military District, and soon became its chief of staff. In July 2001, he was promoted from deputy army officer tomajor general.[4][2][5]
At the end of 2003, Zhao Zongqi was appointed as the deputy commander of theChongqing Garrison Command. In October 2004, he was transferred to the 14th Army as its commander. In September 2007, he was appointed as the commander of the13th Army. In 2008, he was transferred to theJinan Military Region as its chief of staff. In November 2012, he was appointed the commander of the Jinan Military Region, becoming the youngest commander of a military region at the time. On July 31, 2015, he was promoted to the rank ofgeneral.[6][7][2][8]
On February 1, 2016, Zhao was named commander of the re-organizedWestern Theater Command, the largest theatre command of China, and served in this position till December 2020.[9][10] He oversaw the Western Theatre during the2017 China–India border standoff and2020 China–India skirmishes.[10][11]
In December 2020, Zhao Zongqi retired due to age and was replaced byZhang Xudong as commander of the Western Theater Command.[12]
On October 1, 2019, he had led the flag formation at the military parade celebrating the70th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.
Zhao was a member of the13th National People's Congress,14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (Standing Committee),17th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party and the18th and19th Central Committees of the Chinese Communist Party.
On February 28, 2021, he was appointed vice-chairperson of theNational People's Congress Foreign Affairs Committee.[13]
In 2006, Zhao was hired as a military consultant for the TV seriesSoldiers Sortie.
Zhao was also a lyricist. The official hymn of the Western Theater Command, released on 4 November 2020, "The Battle Hymn of the Western Theater Command" (Chinese:西部战区战歌;pinyin:Xībù zhànqū zhàngē) was written by Zhao when he was its commander.[14]
His has published articles onmilitary science including:
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Zhang Hetian | Chief of Staff of the Jinan Military Region 2007–2012 | Succeeded by Ma Yiming |
| Preceded by | Commander of theJinan Military Region 2012–2016 | Succeeded by Ji Wenming |
| New title | Commander of theWestern Theater Command 2016–2020 | Succeeded by |
 Commanders and Commissars of thePeople's Liberation Army theater commands | |||||
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| Eastern |
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| Southern |
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| Western |
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| Northern |
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| Central |
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Generals and admirals of the People's Republic of China in active service | ||
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| Ground Force and Strategic Support Force |  | |
| Navy* | ||
| Air Force | ||
| Rocket Force | ||
| Armed Police Force | ||
*Although navyshang jiang is officially translated as "admiral", there is no distinction between "general" and "admiral" in Chinese. | ||