The Xinjiang Military District (MD), headquartered in Urumqi, is the most unique among PLA’s provincial military districts in that it has it is subordinated to the Lanzhou Military Region (MR), but with its own subordinated Nanjiang (Southern Xinjiang) MD, which is equivalent to a regular provincial MD. In PLA administrative hierarchy, the Xinjiang MD is a “Sub-Military Region Level” (fu dajunqu ji) unit, i.e. its commander is equivalent to a deputy commander of a MR, while commanders of other provincial MDs are only equivalent to group army commanders (Army-Level).
The Xinjiang MD was formed in December 1949, when the PLA entered Xinjiang. The military district was composed of the PLA 2nd and 6th Corps, local ethnical military forces, and former Nationalist (Kuomintang or KMT) forces that surrendered to the PLA. Under the command of the then Northwest Military Region (now Lanzhou MR), the Xinjiang MD formed two 2nd-level military districts: the Nanjiang (Southern Xinjiang) MD headquartered in Kashgar and the Beijiang (Northern Xinjiang) MD headquartered in Dihua (now known as Urumqi).
In early 1953, PLA troops in Xinjiang MD were divided into national defence troops and production troops. The latter later became the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (PCC), a paramilitary organisation under the joint government, party and military control which has the mission of land reclamation, agricultural production, and economical development. The Xinjiang PCC was separated from the Xinjiang MD in 1956 to be managed by the civilian government.
In 1955, the PLA had its military regions re-divided, with the Xinjiang MD being upgraded to the Xinjiang Military Region (MR) which under the direct command of the PLA headquarters. In 1979, the Xinjiang MR was renamed Urumqi MR. In 1982, the Urumqi MR transferred its troops tasked with internal security to the newly formed People’s Armed Police (PAP).
In 1985, the PLA regrouped its 11 military regions into seven, with the Urumqi MR merged with the Lanzhou MR. The area of responsibilities (AOR) of the former Urumqi MR became the new Xinjiang MD, which no longer had any subordinated military districts. However, in 1987, the PLA decided to restore the Nanjiang (Southern Xinjiang) MD under the Xinjiang MD to enhance its control in the region in response to the growing separatism movement in Xinjiang.
When the Xinjiang MD was re-established in 1985, it was a “Corps Group Level” (Bingtuan Ji) unit. As the security environment in Western China improved, the Xinjiang MD was further downgraded to the “Army Level” (Ju Ji), but this change was subsequently reversed and the military district was upgraded to the higher “Sub-Military Region Level” in 1993.
Currently the Xinjiang MD has a subordinated military district—the Nanjiang (Southern Xinjiang) MD. Between the two military district headquarters they manage a total of 13 PLA border defence regiments stationed along the western borders of the PRC. The Xinjiang MD also has a strong mobile force element, consisting of a mechanised infantry division (6th), three motorised infantry division (4th, 8th and 11th), two independent infantry regiments (1st and 2nd), an artillery brigade, an AAA brigade, an army aviation (helicopter) regiment, and an engineer regiment.
Troops of the Xinjiang MD formed the ground forces element of the PLA unit that took part in the "Peace Mission 2007" Sino-Russia joint exercise in October 2007.
PLA troops from the Xinjiang MD took part in the "Peace Mission 2007" joint Sino-Russia exercise (Source: Chinese Internet)
