China brings frontier troopsunder PLA

Beijing: China has brought its frontier troops, including those guarding its border with India, directly under the military command removing civilian control over them, a state-run daily reported on Thursday.

The Communist Party of China (CPC), headed by President Xi Jinping, announced complete withdrawal of civilian-oriented frontier defence troops from the People's Armed Police (PAP) to enhance the ruling party's management of the country's armed forces, Global Times reported.

Troops that were formerly part of the armed police and managed by institutes of the state council have now officially withdrawn from this system in a bid to fully implement the party's absolute leadership over the People's Liberation Army, and other national armed forces, the daily said quoting an article published by the Chinese People's Liberation Army's official WeChat public account on Wednesday.

The withdrawal of armed police force units engaged in civilian affairs would disentangle the previous complicated chain of command, Chinese military analysts said.

This will also mean that the border troops including those posted along the 3,488-km long Line of Actual Control would be brought directly under the PLA which functions under the Central Military Commission (CMC) headed by Xi.

The President was re-elected last week for a second five-year term as the President and the chairman of the CMC by China's rubber stamp parliament, National People's Congress , days after it removed the two-term limit for the President. PTI