Beijing: China has appointed a new military commander in Xinjiang who is turbulent where the authorities have locked more than a million members of the Muslim minority in what they call bids to curb terrorism and radicalism.
Letny Wang Hajiang will oversee the presence of a large military in the western northwest region bordering some unstable Central Asian countries, along with Pakistan and Afghanistan, from which US forces withdrew.
Like the head of the Communist Party Hardline Xinjiang Chen Quanguo, Wang previously served in Tibet, who also hosted many troops to suppress anti-government sentiment among the original Tibetan populations and maintain disputed borders with India, where two countries have the last deadly clashes year.
Wang’s appointment that was not announced was revealed at the Xinjiang Military District Social Media Feed which showed him who led a retirement ceremony for senior officers on Wednesday.
Wang saw the battle during the border war with Vietnam in the early 1980s and served in the elite people’s liberation army unit, according to state media reports.
US withdrawal from Afghanistan is a special concern for Beijing, which is afraid of the rise of militant Islam along its borders.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last week hosted a delegation from Taliban, who had made a fast territorial profit in Afghanistan and is currently involved in battle for big cities.
Wang told the officials that China hoped the Taliban would focus on peace talks and work for unity among all factions and ethnic groups.
He also said China hopes the Taliban will “deal firmly” with the East Turkistan Islamic Movement, a Chinese claim group leads the boost for independence in Xinjiang.
Unconfirmed reports said that several hundred fighter fighters with Etim were present in the northeast Afghanistan, although many experts doubted the group even in any operational form.