News Analysis The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) appointment of a new top military commander for the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) could result in further unrest along the nation’s westernmost border, according to experts. The CCP appointed Lieutenant General Wang Haijiang as the new military commander for Xinjiang, which borders the volatile regions of Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Tajikistan. Importantly, Wang’s appointment comes at a time of heightened tension and instability as the CCP attempts to navigate its relationship with a resurgent Taliban-led Afghanistan. Dru Gladney, professor and chair of Anthropology at Pomona College, expressed concern that the appointment of Wang to Xinjiang could spell trouble for the Muslim minority in the region given his previous experience assisting Party official Chen Quanguo in the suppression of Tibet. Chen, the current Party chief in Xinjiang, previously served as the CCP’s regional head in Tibet. He was the architect of numerous repressive …