| Unit Name: | Western Theater Command |
| Native Name: | 西部战区 |
| Type: | Theater Command |
| Role: | Command and control |
| Command Structure: | People's Liberation Army |
| Garrison: | Chengdu, Sichuan |
| Garrison Label: | Headquarters |
| Commander1: | General Wang Haijiang |
| Commander1 Label: | Commander |
| Commander2: | General Li Fengbiao |
| Commander2 Label: | Political Commisar |
| Commander3: | General Zhang Jian |
| Commander3 Label: | Chief of Staff |
| Identification Symbol Label: | Sleeve insignia |
The Western Theater Command is one of the five theater commands of the People's Liberation Army, founded on 1 February 2016.
Its jurisdiction includes Sichuan, Tibet, Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Chongqing.[1] Guizhou is also sometimes listed as part of the command. Its current commander since August 2021 is General Wang Haijiang.[2] Its current political commissar is General Li Fengbiao.
In May 2016, the PRC raised the rank and status of its western Tibet Military Command to widen its scope for missions and combat preparedness, in a move analysts in Beijing said was aimed in part at fortifying the border with India.[3] The Xinjiang Military Command may also be elevated in the future, the report said. Both commands are under the newly created Western Theater Command, the largest of five newly reorganised military regions of the PLA. The Chinese Communist Party-run tabloid Global Times reported the change would allow the command “to shoulder more combat assignments”.
Western Theater Command's Area of Responsibility (AOR) consists of India, South Asia, Central Asia, Western Mongolia, Pakistan and Afghanistan
The Western Theater Command consists of the following components:
Released on 4 November 2020, the Western Theater Command released "The Battle Hymn of the Western Theater Command" with lyrics written by the then commander of the Western Theater Command, General Zhao Zongqi and music composed by Luan Kai.[4]
| English name | Chinese name | Took office | Left office | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zhao Zongqi | Chinese: 赵宗岐 | February 2016 | December 2020 | ||
| Zhang Xudong | Chinese: 张旭东 | December 2020 | June 2021 | ||
| Xu Qiling | Chinese: 徐起零 | June 2021 | August 2021 | ||
| Wang Haijiang | Chinese: 汪海江 | August 2021 | Incumbent |
| English name | Chinese name | Took office | Left office | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zhu Fuxi | Chinese: 朱福熙 | February 2016 | January 2017 | ||
| Wu Shezhou | Chinese: 吴社洲 | January 2017 | June 2021 | ||
| Li Fengbiao | Chinese: 李凤彪 | June 2021 | Incumbent |