Some claim that the local PLA commander initiated the “stand-off,” while others contend that China’s new president, Xi Jinping, was using the transgression to assert his authority over the PLA. The incursion has even been linked to the scandal surrounding Chongqing’s disgraced former Communist Party chief, Bo Xilai, who had close ties with high-ranking PLA and security-services officers.
有人认为是解放军地方指挥官下令挑起了这次“僵局”，也有人助长中国新主席习近平在借此宣布他在解放军中的权威。此次入侵甚至与被抓的前重庆市委书记薄熙来联系在一起，薄熙来曾经试图与解放军和武警高级军官建立紧密联系。但最可能的解释是最简单的一个：中国在有意显示其对争议边界的主宰。