20th CPC National Congress: PLA Galwan commander attended opening event

Qi Fabao, a Chinese military commander who was injured during the Galwan Valley clash with Indian troops in June 2020, attended the opening of the Communist Party of China (CPC) 20th national congress.

On Sunday (October 16), Chinese President Xi Jinping kicked off the country's five-yearly Communist Party Congress. In his wide-ranging speech, Xi touched upon several topics including Hong Kong, the coronavirus (COVID-19), Taiwan, etc.

Reports have mentioned that Qi was one of the 304 delegates from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and People’s Armed Police, who were selected to attend the meeting. Overall, nearly 2,300 delegates and invitees were present at the event.

During the event, Qi had his status as a delegate to the national congress further elevated after the propaganda video of him charging Indian forces was aired in the Great Hall of People.

It is said that the video was shot before the bloody encounter between their border troops on June 15, 2020. The same video was shared on social media forums also soon after the Galwan Valley incident.

The footage, which was a part of a longer video, was played on the giant screens at the Great Auditorium as the delegates were walking in and Xi was all set to arrive and give the speech.

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Without any mention of India, Xi in his speech said that China will "intensify military training under combat conditions, laying emphasis on joint training, force-on-force training and high-tech training".

It could have been a warning to Taiwan, which has been a simmering issue in the region, with Beijing even saying that it will use force if needed to unite Taiwan with China.

Xi also said China will become more "adept at deploying our military forces on a regular basis...This will enable us to shape our security posture, deter and manage crises and conflicts, and win local wars."

Qi was at the centre of controversy when his name was revealed as the officer injured in the clash and China honoured him with the "Hero regimental commander for defending the border" title.

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