By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Oct. 17: The Chairman of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), Che Dalha, or Qizhala, has reportedly been transferred to Beijing by the central Chinese Communist Party for a position in the national legislature ahead of the reshuffle in the top leadership next year, according to the Economic Times. The new top official of TAR is likely to be filled by the head of Lhasa Communist Party, Chief Yan Jinhai, as part of the build-up of five-year party Congress next year.
Qizhala has served as the head of regional government since 2017, and chief Yan was appointed Deputy party chief of Tibet in July last year and became Lhasa’s party secretary in January. The 59-year-old Yan is an ethnic Tibetan official from the Qinghai province. The nominations to the top leadership have not been made public this year but the reshuffle is crucial as the TAR’s strategic importance continues to rise, given the clashes between Chinese and Indian troops in 2020 due to disputed Himalayan territory.
In July, Xi also became the first top Chinese President to visit the region since 1990, where he stressed the importance of ‘social stability’ and border security for the sensitive region. The CPC will formally start its process for next year’s Congress by holding its sixth plenary session in November, where over 370 full and alternate members will participate.
President Xi Jinping is expected to start his unprecedented third five-year term as the CCP’s General Secretary; Xi will be the first Chinese leader to do so in decades. He will most likely assume the highest post again, possibly for life, following the 2018 constitutional amendment, which removed the two-term limit for President.
