BEIJING – China has a new army commander for the southern region amid growing disputes in the South China Sea.

       General Wu Yanan has been appointed to head the Southern Theatre Command, which oversees military strategy in the South China Sea, according to a media report on July 31.

       General Wu, 61, has extensive experience in ground forces. He previously served as the commander of the Central Theatre Command.

       His new appointment came as tensions are rising in the waters, where China and neighbouring countries, including the Philippines and Vietnam, have overlapping territorial claims.

       Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who took office in 2022, has been pushing back against China’s sweeping claims to nearly all of the South China Sea, bolstering his country’s military cooperation with the US.

       General Wu replaces the previous commander Wang Xiubin.

       There was no official reason given for General Wang’s departure, nor the next steps for the 60-year-old.

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       General Wang was first revealed as the Southern Theatre Command chief in July 2021, when he was promoted to general. He last appeared in public in that capacity in April, when he met with visiting French military officials. BLOOMBERG