China's Strategic Move: New County Established Near Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir

New County in Xinjiang: A Security Measure

Beijing: In a significant development, China has established a new county named Cenling in the Xinjiang province, strategically located near Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the Afghanistan border. This initiative appears to be aimed at enhancing security along the Wakhan Corridor, a narrow passage that has been a concern for the infiltration of Uyghur separatist militants.

Cenling is positioned close to the Karakoram mountain range, emphasizing its importance in terms of security and governance.

This marks the third new county created in Xinjiang, a region predominantly inhabited by Uyghurs, within just over a year.

Last year, India raised objections regarding the formation of Hean and Hekang counties, asserting that parts of their jurisdiction encroach upon its union territory of Ladakh.

Hean encompasses significant portions of the disputed Aksai Chin plateau, which China occupied during the 1962 conflict and remains a contentious issue in the India-China border dispute.

The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region government announced the establishment of Cenling on March 26, although specific details regarding its administrative divisions and boundaries have not been disclosed.

Cenling will fall under the administration of the Kashgar prefecture, as reported by a Hong Kong-based media outlet.

Kashgar, a historic city along the ancient Silk Road, serves as a crucial link between China and South and Central Asia.

Additionally, it is the starting point for the contentious USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which traverses through PoK and faces opposition from India.

Experts interpret the creation of Cenling as a reflection of Beijing's increasing focus on border security and governance.

Lin Minwang, a professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, noted that this move signifies China's growing acknowledgment of the strategic importance of the region.

He emphasized that the establishment of the new county highlights China's commitment to its border areas.

The new county's location is also linked to Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor, a 74-kilometer stretch that separates Tajikistan from PoK, underscoring China's security and counterterrorism priorities.

Beijing has previously expressed concerns regarding Uyghur militants from the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) potentially using the Wakhan Corridor to infiltrate Xinjiang from Afghanistan.

Yun Sun, a senior fellow at the Stimson Centre in Washington, remarked that the establishment of the new county indicates a push towards a more robust grassroots governance structure for effective control.

She stated that this initiative aims to bolster the government's stabilization efforts in a frontier region that is historically prone to ethnic unrest and the potential infiltration of foreign militants from Central Asia.