Misplaced Pages

#90909

66-634: The Beijing Garrison District was created from the old Beijing Military Region in August of 2016, as part of the 2015 reforms . Due to the importance of the capital, and the sensitivity of its military affairs, the garrison was given its own military district, distinct to the Central Theater Command , and was placed directly under the control of the Central Military Commission. Another peculiarity, only shared with

132-481: A doctor tending to the wounded. As the battle continued eastward, the firing became indiscriminate, with "random, stray patterns" killing both protesters and uninvolved bystanders. Several were killed in the apartments of high-ranking party officials overlooking the boulevard. Soldiers raked the apartment buildings with gunfire, and some people inside or on their balconies were shot. The 38th Army also used armored personnel carriers to ram through blockades. As

198-543: A megaphone and urged the protesters to disperse. At about 10:30 p.m., the 38th Army opened fire on protesters at the Wukesong intersection on Chang'an Avenue , about 10 km west of the square. The crowds were stunned that the army was using live ammunition, and fell back towards the Muxidi Bridge. Song Xiaoming, a 32-year-old aerospace technician, killed at Wukesong, was the first confirmed fatality of

264-680: A private briefing. Deng, who was the Chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), expressed the impatience of party elders with the government's inability to end the student movement which had been active for nearly a month. He reiterated the need to act decisively. On the night of May 16, the five members of the CCP Politburo's Standing Committee , Zhao Ziyang, Li Peng , Qiao Shi , Hu Qili and Yao Yilin , along with President Yang Shangkun , Bo Yibo ,

330-640: A total of five various anti-aircraft brigades, and one anti-tank regiment. The command is also augmented by the PLA Beijing Garrison , which consists of the 1st and 3rd guard divisions (Military Police), and the Beijing Garrison Honor Guard Battalion and Color Guard Company , both of which are charged with public duties . The command is also home to the PLA Navy (PLAN) North Sea Fleet . The last commander

396-496: A vanguard unit of three APCs split from the main squad in search of a new route and moved over to the Beijing-Tianjin Highway. The main squad followed. Over the next four hours, the armored units smashed through barricaded intersections at Shilipu , Balizhuang , Hujialou , Dabeiyao , and Jianguomen, and reached the square at about 5:00 am. The rest of the first squad followed at 5:40 am. The second squad of

462-465: Is mainly responsible for defending the People's Republic of China from Mongolia and Russia, and also protects the capital of China, and had the largest number of military personnel of any of the seven regions active from 1985 to 2017. The Region has now been disbanded and superseded by the Central Theater Command and Northern Theater Command . Both the 63rd and 65th Corps/Group Armies were stationed in

528-639: Is primarily charged with protecting the capital. Because of its location in the capital, the Beijing Military Region was the most important of the seven military regions. Each unit from the Beijing Military Region contributed forces to Beijing for the crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 , and these elements remained deployed in Beijing long after using deadly force to remove the demonstrators. In addition to guarding

594-532: The 63rd Group Army (Shanxi) were both disbanded. About the same time, the 10th Air Corps, also stationed in the region, was disestablished (PLAAF 2010). The International Institute for Strategic Studies attributed to the command 300,000 personnel in 2006, consisting of three group armies (the 27th Group Army , 38th Group Army , and the 65th Group Army ), two armoured divisions, one mechanised infantry division, five motorised divisions, one artillery division, three armoured, seven motorised infantry, four artillery,

660-472: The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) played a decisive role in enforcing martial law , using force to suppress the demonstrations in the city. The killings of protestors in Beijing continue to taint the legacies of the party elders , led by Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping , and weigh on the generation of leaders whose careers advanced as their more moderate colleagues were purged or sidelined at

726-559: The Nanjing Military Region . Wu Renhua 's study has identified the involvement of the following units in martial law operations. Beijing Military Region Jinan Military Region Shenyang Military Region Nanjing Military Region Guangzhou Military Region Most of the soldiers were from peasant families who had never been to Beijing and did not understand the situation they were about to confront. Many privately looked forward to their first trip to

SECTION 10

#1732776694091

792-919: The Xinjiang Military District , is that Beijing units preserved their traditional division/regiment structure rather than become brigades as elsewhere in the PLA. As of 2022, the Beijing Garrison District controlled the following units: Beijing Military Region The Beijing Military Region was one of seven military regions for the Chinese People's Liberation Army . From the mid-1980s to 2017, it had administration of all military affairs within Beijing city, Tianjin city, Hebei province, Shanxi province, and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region . The Region

858-601: The 1st Armored Division left Sanhe the night of June 3 and encountered numerous roadblocks before its advance was completely halted at Shuangjing , where residents barricaded the road with dozens of trucks and surrounded the convoy. Angry residents told the troops of bloodshed in the city and smashed the lights and machine gun mounts on some of vehicles. Scores of soldiers were injured. Division commander Xu Qingren and commissar Wu Zhongming chose not to harm civilians and stayed at Shuangjing for 13 hours from about 6:40 am to 7:40 pm, during which time residents brought food and water to

924-480: The 38th in the summers as members of the army reserve . In some places, troops and protesters sang traditional Maoist songs together, and residents brought the stranded soldiers food and water. At Dajing in Fengtai District , clashes broke out between demonstrators and troops. On the night of May 19, as the 337th, 338th, artillery and armored regiments of the 38th Army's 113th Division advanced toward

990-402: The 64th Army traveling by train was blocked for two days by Tangshan students and residents who laid on the railway at Qian'an, Hebei from May 21–23. On the night of May 19, advanced units from the 27th, 38th and 63rd Armies had already reached Beijing before martial law was publicly declared. But news of martial law having been leaked, students and city residents had also organized to block

1056-632: The Beijing Garrison's 13th Safeguard Regiment ( 3rd Guard Division ) and nearly 9,000 soldiers from the 38th Army ( 112th Division , 6th Armored Division, engineer and communications regiments) were deployed around the Great Hall of the People during Hu's funeral. Outside the Hall, in Tiananmen Square , nearly 100,000 students had gathered on the night of April 21 to mourn Hu. The 38th Army

1122-501: The Beijing Military Region, as his deputies. The military forces enforcing martial law would be drawn mainly from the Beijing, Jinan and Shenyang Military Regions. Liu, Chi and Yang Shangkun then reported to Deng that the martial law force would mobilize 180,000 PLA and People's Armed Police personnel. By May 18, the protests in Tiananmen Square had reached one million supporters. The protests caused deep divisions within

1188-673: The Beijing area after returning from the Korean War and remained in the region ever since, becoming Group Armies after 1985. The 13th Air Force Corps was stationed at Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province from 1971 to 1976. On 26 October 1988 the 17th Air Division was reorganized into the Beijing MR Training Base (serials 6xx2x). In reductions announced in September 2003, the 24th Group Army ( Hebei ), and

1254-565: The Comrade Performance Troupe ( Chinese : 战友文工团 ) and the Comrade Newspaper ( Chinese : 战友报 ). People%27s Liberation Army at Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 [REDACTED] Chinese Communist Party Demonstrators Student leaders: Workers: Intellectuals: 15 verified killed including 7 KIA During the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre in Beijing ,

1320-502: The Dajing Bridge, several students and residents blocking their advance were injured in clashes with riot police who were attempting to clear the way. The crowd managed to pin the units on the bridge and nearby Shawo Village. Though some units retreated to a nearby middle school, other units were stranded for three days and four nights. On May 22, the regiment commissars negotiated with student leaders in Tiananmen Square to permit

1386-546: The Great Hall to divert the crowds' attention. The PAP units with clubs and riot gear fought through walls of protesters to seize control of the weapons. For the first time during the 1989 Tiananmen Protests, the police fired tear gas to repel protesters. At 6:30 pm on 3 June, the Beijing Municipal Government and Martial Law Command issued an emergency announcement advising citizens to "stay off

SECTION 20

#1732776694091

1452-534: The People on the west side of the square and the Ministry of Public Security compound east of the square. Many of the troops that infiltrated the city center in disguise did not carry weapons, which had to be delivered to them in unmarked vehicles. On the morning of June 3, a bus carrying a company of soldiers in the 27th Army, dressed in plain clothes, and hidden cargo of over 100 assault rifles, five light machine guns, two radios and over 10,000 rounds of ammunition

1518-460: The Shijingshan and Haidian Districts. The only unit that advanced into the city was the 14th Artillery Division which traveled by train from Shahe but this unit was surrounded by civilians once it reached the Beijing railway station. Many troops remained surrounded for several days. During this ordeal, encounters between troops and students were mostly peaceful. Some students had trained with

1584-539: The Third Ring Road. The 15th Airborne Corps landed at the Nanyuan Airport south of the city. Airlifts continued into Nanyuan continued for the next three days. Five helicopters of the 38th Army appeared over Tiananmen Square and dropped leaflets calling on protesters to vacate the square. The 65th Army made several efforts to advance on Tiananmen Square from the west but were forced to pull back into

1650-543: The afternoon of May 19, residents in Baoding blocked four battalions of the 38th Army from leaving the city. The 38th Army was forced to take different routes out of Baoding before reconvening on the highway to Beijing. The 27th Army was also blocked on May 19 in Baoding by crowds who chanted anti-corruption slogans and spat on the soldiers, and was forced to re-route their approach on Beijing via Zhuozhou . A detachment of

1716-500: The announcement of martial law order. In addition to the Beijing and Tianjin Garrisons, at least 30 divisions were sent to Beijing from five of the country's seven military regions . At least 14 of PLA's 24 army corps sent troops. Reliable estimates place the number of troops mobilized in the range of 180,000 to 250,000. The extraordinary scale of the mobilization may have been motivated by concerns of insubordination. Xu Qinxian ,

1782-419: The army advanced, fatalities were recorded along Chang'an Avenue. By far, the largest number occurred in the two-mile stretch of road running from Muxidi to Xidan , where "65 PLA trucks and 47 APCs ... were totally destroyed, and 485 other military vehicles were damaged." A noteworthy death near Xidan – that of 25-year-old 2nd Lieutenant Liu Guogeng, a PLA company commander – reveals stark differences between

1848-485: The bridge, but were driven back by a barrage of broken bricks the protesters had prepared beforehand. Regular troops then rushed onto the bridge, chanting, "If no one attacks me, I attack no one; but if people attack me, I must attack them", and turning their weapons on the crowd. Soldiers alternated between shooting into the air and firing directly at protesters. According to the tabulation of victims by Tiananmen Mothers , 36 people died at Muxidi, including Wang Weiping,

1914-498: The capital and expected to be welcomed by residents. The military units from other regions spoke a different northern dialect than the Beijing citizens, adding to the confusion. The soldiers were strictly prohibited from communicating with residents. This language barrier would limit curious soldiers in finding information on the student movement other than what they have been told by their chain of command . Some mobilized units encountered civilian protesters before reaching Beijing. On

1980-414: The capital, the Beijing Military Region is also in charge of training key personnel for leadership positions through the numerous military academies in the region. The organizational structure as of 2016 was as follows: Organizations affiliated with the Beijing Military Region often used the nickname "comrade" ( Chinese : 战友 ; pinyin : zhànyǒu ; lit. 'battle friend'), including

2046-566: The city. At 8:00 p.m., the 39th Army left the Sanjianfang Military Airport in Tong County and advanced eastward toward the square through Chaoyang and Dongcheng Districts. The 67th Army also left Tong County and moved from Dingfuzhuang, Dabeiyao , Hujialou , Jianguomen , East Chang'an Avenue to Tiananmen Square. The 14th Artillery Division departed from the Beijing railway station and moved toward

PLA Beijing Garrison - Misplaced Pages Continue

2112-575: The commander of the 38th Army , the best-equipped army corps of the Beijing Military Region , refused to enforce the martial law order. Xu said he could not comply with a verbal order to mobilize and demanded to see a written order. When told by the Beijing Military Regional command that it "was wartime" and a written order would be provided later, Xu, who had spent time in Beijing earlier in the spring, said there

2178-564: The deputy director of the Central Advisory Commission , held an emergency meeting and agreed to (1) solicit the views of Deng Xiaoping and (2) have Zhao Ziyang negotiate with the hunger-striking students. On May 17, the five Standing Committee members visited Deng's residence, where Deng made clear that no more concessions could be made to the students and that the time had come to call in the military to impose martial law. The Standing Committee members agreed to convene in

2244-637: The east gate of the Temple of Heaven in Chongwen District . About 300 were pinned against the outside wall of the Temple complex. When the regiment commander told the crowd that his troops were hungry, thirsty and tired, residents brought soda, snacks and fruit and escorted injured soldiers to the hospital. The 12th Army was airlifted to the Nanyuan Airport on June 4 and was not deployed on

2310-697: The east side of the square. At 10:00 p.m., the first squad of the 1st Armored Division left Yangzha in Tong County and moved west along the Beijing-Tangshan Highway. Earlier, at 4:00 pm, this unit had been ordered to move from Sanhe in Hebei to the Beijing Garrison Command barracks at Yangzha. At Baliqiao , the first squad's advance was halted by a human chain of demonstrators and jack-knifed buses. At midnight,

2376-440: The evening to discuss how to implement martial law. That night, the five Standing Committee members could not agree on whether to impose martial law, with Li Peng and Yao Yilin in support, Zhao Ziyang and Hu Qili in opposition and Qiao Shi abstaining. Zhao offered to resign as Party General Secretary, but was dissuaded by Yang and asked for three days of sick leave. Subsequently, Zhao Ziyang ceased to have political influence. On

2442-415: The far northwest on June 3, tried to follow this path along western Chang'an Avenue but its progress stalled at Muxidi early on the morning of June 4. The advance of the army was again halted at Muxidi , about 5 km west of the square, where they encountered another blockade made up of articulated trolleybuses that were placed across a bridge and set on fire. An anti-riot brigade attempted to storm

2508-454: The fighting, disabled armored vehicles slowed the progress of the army's trucks and troops. The 20th Army under future defense minister Liang Guanglie , advanced north from Daxing County , and proceeded to the south of Tiananmen Square through Dahongmen , Yongdingmen and Zhengyangmen . At 2:00 a.m., about 880 soldiers from the 173rd Regiment, 58th Division of the 20th Army, were surrounded by tens of thousands of city residents outside

2574-439: The final steps for enforcing martial law: That evening, the leaders monitored the progress of the troops from headquarters in the Great Hall of the People and Zhongnanhai . Security at Zhongnanhai compound was reinforced by troops from the 1st and 3rd Safeguard Divisions of the Beijing Garrison, units of the 65th Army. Later, the 27th Army also sent units. On June 2, several army units were moved covertly into Great Hall of

2640-484: The first vice-chairman, had not. Without Zhao's approval, Xu refused to act on the order and asked for sick leave. He was court-martialled and the 38th Army under his replacement mobilized to enforce the martial law order. After Xu's insubordination, the 12th Army , which Deng Xiaoping had personally led during the Chinese Civil War , was airlifted from Nanjing. The 12th Army was the only unit mobilized from

2706-430: The growing protesters in Beijing forced the party leaders to call in additional PLA units. PLA soldiers were kept in isolation and underwent re-education to instill and reinforce the belief that a turmoil in the capital needed to be suppressed. On June 2, Deng Xiaoping and several party elders met with the three remaining Politburo Standing Committee members, Li Peng , Qiao Shi and Yao Yilin . They agreed to clear

PLA Beijing Garrison - Misplaced Pages Continue

2772-481: The leadership. Qin later publicly supported the military crackdown but his authority diminished thereafter. Though martial law was scheduled for May 21, news of the impending order was leaked to the public, so the timetable was moved up. Premier Li Peng hastily announced martial law in the early morning hours of May 20. The order, declared pursuant to Article 89, Section 16 of the PRC Constitution ,

2838-486: The martial law order to the military right away, citing the need to receive party approval. Zhao Ziyang , as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party , was nominally head of the party . Qin called Zhao's office, hoping that Zhao would call off the martial law order. He waited four hours for Zhao's reply, which never came. Unbeknownst to Qin, Zhao had lost the power struggle and was purged from

2904-548: The military to establish a martial law command, (4) explain the decision to the two remaining PLA Marshals , Nie Rongzhen and Xu Xiangqian , and (5) inform provincial-level party committees of the Party Center's decision. On the afternoon of the May 18, the Central Military Commission appointed Liu Huaqing as the commander-in-chief of martial law operations with Chi Haotian, then PLA chief of staff, and Zhou Yibing, commander of

2970-636: The morning of May 18, the Standing Committee, minus Zhao, along with party elders Chen Yun , Li Xiannian , Peng Zhen , Deng Yingchao , Bo Yibo, and Wang Zhen , along with Central Military Commission members Qin Jiwei , Hong Xuezhi and Liu Huaqing gathered at Deng's residence. At this meeting, the leadership resolved: (1) to impose martial law on the morning of May 21, (2) hold an expanded meeting with military and Beijing government officials on May 19, (3) have Yang Shangkun make arrangements with

3036-405: The narrative accounts that parties glorifying or vilifying the PLA offer regarding the battle. Both sides recount that Liu's charred, disemboweled body was found hanging from a bus near Xidan, wearing only socks and a hat. Graphic images of his corpse were published by both pro- and anti-PLA media. According to the official account, Liu's unit was surrounded, and a few disabled vehicles fell behind

3102-445: The night. The troops allegedly used expanding bullets , which expand and fragment upon entering the body and create larger wounds. According to Wu Renhua's study, the 38th Army killed more civilian demonstrators than any other unit, despite its reputation at the time of being friendly to city residents. Fatalities were recorded all along Chang'an Avenue, at Nanlishilu , Fuxingmen , Xidan , Liubukou and Tiananmen . Among those killed

3168-640: The people against official corruption was acceptable but the motive of some people using this demand as a pretext to overthrow the Communist Party was not. He added that the party must use peaceful means to resolve the student movement but the Politburo must be prepared to act decisively. On May 13, as the students embarked on a hunger strike in Tiananmen Square, Yang and the CCP General Secretary Zhao Ziyang gave Deng

3234-483: The rest of the convoy. Liu then went on foot to retrieve his comrades, but was captured at Liubukou and beaten for an hour. He escaped, but was recaptured some distance west, killed and mutilated. He was later declared a "national martyr" and "people's hero". According to the alternative, anti-PLA account, Liu was captured and lynched after killing four people (including one child) at close range with his assault rifle. Slogans describing his alleged deeds were scrawled on

3300-401: The roadblocks, but resistance became stiffer as the PLA advanced further into the city. Urban fighters disabled armored vehicles using steel bars from road dividers to break their tracks and wheels, before covering them with blankets doused in gasoline and set on fire. PLA crews who exited the vehicles were attacked with rocks and molotov cocktails. Larry Wortzel noted that this swarming tactic

3366-444: The senior party leadership as well as the ranks of the PLA. On May 17, over 1,000 men from the People's Liberation Army 's General Logistics Department showed their support for the movement by marching to Tiananmen Square , and they received enthusiastic applause from onlookers. The decision to impose martial law was initially resisted by Defense Minister Qin Jiwei . After attending the meeting at Deng's home, Qin declined to send

SECTION 50

#1732776694091

3432-566: The side of the bus where his body had been hung. The 15th Airborne Corps and 54th Group Army left the Beijing Nanyuan Airport at 2:00 AM, advancing Tiananmen Square from the south, with PAP units serving as the lead elements. They met resistance from demonstrators, who had set up roadblocks made up of buses and trucks. Initial attempts by PAP troops to disperse the defenders with nightsticks were ineffective. Tanks and armored personnel carriers were able to easily cut through

3498-537: The square so "the riot can be halted and order be restored to the Capital." At 4:30pm on June 3, the three politburo members met with Central Military Commission members Qin Jiwei, Hong Xuezhi , Liu Huaqing , Chi Haotian and Yang Baibing , PLA General Logistics chief Zhao Nanqi , Beijing Party Secretary Li Ximing , mayor Chen Xitong , State Council secretariat Luo Gan , Beijing Military Region commander Zhou Yibing and political commissar Liu Zhenhua to discuss

3564-568: The streets and away from Tiananmen Square". This announcement was broadcast for several hours across radio and television. Meanwhile, protesters used student loudspeakers in various university campuses in Beijing to call for students and citizens to arm themselves and assemble at intersections and the Square. On June 3, at 8:00 p.m., the 38th Army , led by interim commander Zhang Meiyuan , began to advance from military office compounds in Shijingshan and Fentai District in western Beijing along

3630-487: The time. Within China, the role of the military in 1989 remains a subject of private discussion within the ranks of the party leadership and PLA. The student movement in Beijing in the spring of 1989 was triggered by the death of former CCP General Secretary Hu Yaobang on April 15. Well before martial law was declared on May 19, the government called army troops into the city to help the police maintain order. On April 22,

3696-438: The troops in the outer suburbs. On May 20, military units from the 24th, 27th, 28th, 38th, 63rd, 65th, Beijing Garrison Command, 39th, 40th, 54th and 67th Armies advanced on the city from all directions. They were stopped and surrounded by tens of thousands of civilians who erected roadblocks and crowded around convoys at Fengtai , Liuliqiao , Shazikou, Hujialou, Gucheng, Qinghe , Wukesong , Fuxing Road and other points outside

3762-478: The troops pulled out on May 5. The Beijing Garrison troops were called upon to guard the Great Hall on May 4, for the Asian Development Bank board meeting, and from May 13–17 On May 11, Chinese President Yang Shangkun met with Deng privately to discuss the causes of the student movement, the popular support it was receiving and why it was difficult to halt. Deng explained that the demand of

3828-510: The units to retreat. Talks broke down when the students insisted that the soldiers leave their vehicles and weapons. At 8:00 p.m., the troops locked arms and pushed their way toward a Fengtai West Warehouse, and were attacked by the crowd, resulting in scores of injured soldiers. Several students trying to protect the troops were also hit by rocks. 10 suspects, none of whom were students, were later arrested. On May 24, PLA troops withdrew from urban Beijing. The failed attempt to control

3894-517: The western extension of Chang'an Avenue toward the square to the east. At 9:30 p.m, this army encountered a blockade set up by protesters at Gongzhufen in Haidian District . Troops armed with anti-riot gear clashed with the protesters, firing rubber bullets and tear gas, while the protesters threw rocks, bricks, and bottles at them. Other troops fired warning shots into the air, which was ineffective. At 10:10 pm, an army officer picked up

3960-403: Was Duan Changlong, a Tsinghua University graduate student, who was allegedly shot in the chest as he tried to negotiate with soldiers at Xidan . At 10:30 p.m., the 63rd Army's 188th Division advanced from the western suburbs, following the path cleared by the 38th Army, and reached the Great Hall of the People on the east side of the square. The 28th Army , which left Yanqing County in

4026-572: Was General Song Puxuan (2014-2016). The political commissar was General Liu Fulian . The Beijing Military Region traces its lineage to the establishment of the Northwest Military Region in May 1948. It was renamed the Beijing Military Region in 1955, when the Inner Mongolia Military Region was downgraded to a district, and was folded into the Beijing Military Region. The Beijing Military Region

SECTION 60

#1732776694091

4092-455: Was called into Beijing a second time, after the publication of the April 26 Editorial , to join Beijing Garrison troops in guarding Tiananmen Square against protesting students. Several hundred thousand students marched from campus through the city centre on April 27, but did not enter the square. About 5,100 troops were involved in this second deployment. There were no clashes with civilians and

4158-438: Was clearly rehearsed and practiced, having been used by demonstrators in the same way in street fighting in other places around the city, especially during the battle at Muxidi, noting, "By this time, having seen their fellow soldiers killed, the troops were scared. Political commissars had told them for 2 weeks that there were “counter-revolutionary criminals” in the city. Predictably, the troops reacted by opening fire." Throughout

4224-418: Was intercepted by students at Liubukou, just west of Tiananmen Square. The students surrounded the bus and seized some of the weapons as evidence of the government's ill-intent. At 2:05 pm, over 800 soldiers and People's Armed Police in riot gear from the Beijing Garrison rushed out of Zhongnanhai to retake the weapons cache. Simultaneously, thousands of unarmed troops from the 27th and 63rd Armies emerged from

4290-414: Was no war and reiterated his refusal to carry out the order. President Yang Shangkun sent Zhou Yibing, the commander of the regional command to Baoding to persuade Xu. Xu asked Zhou whether the three principals of the Central Military Commission had approved the martial law order. Zhou replied that while Deng Xiaoping , the chairman, and Yang Shangkun, the secretary-general, had approved, Zhao Ziyang ,

4356-406: Was to come into effect at 10:00 am in eight urban districts of Beijing . On May 20, eight retired generals, including former defense minister Zhang Aiping , signed a one-sentence letter opposing the use of force: We request that troops not enter the city and that martial law not be carried out in Beijing. On May 19, the Central Military Commission began mobilizing PLA units in anticipation of

#90909