[Correspondent Diary] Background of the Replacement of Xinjiang Massacre Officials in China

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[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] The Chinese leadership has abruptly replaced the Party Secretary, the top official of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang).

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

This personnel change came amid a growing number of countries declaring a 'diplomatic boycott' ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics scheduled for February next year. On the 6th, the United States officially announced its boycott stance, citing genocide, crimes against humanity, and other human rights violations in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Subsequently, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan joined the boycott. These countries are sending their athletes but are pressuring the Chinese government by not dispatching government delegations to Olympic events such as the opening and closing ceremonies.

On the 25th, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that Ma Xingrui, Governor of Guangdong Province, would take on the role of Party Secretary of Xinjiang. Xinhua also introduced the background of the new Party Secretary Ma. Born in 1959 and originally from Shandong Province, Ma is a scientist and technical bureaucrat holding the title of Academician at the International Academy of Astronautics, the highest scientific honor. He has served as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and has been Governor of Guangdong Province since 2017.

It is ironic that a top scientist in China's aerospace field has been appointed as the highest official of Xinjiang, considered one of China's underdeveloped regions. Guangdong Province is home to China's next-generation core enterprises. This move represents a transfer from the top province in economic and scientific technology fields to the most underdeveloped province in those areas. It is difficult to determine whether this is a demotion or a promotion.

Some in Beijing speculate that Governor Ma was selected as the new Party Secretary to promote Xinjiang's development. China is pushing forward the Western Development Project, but Xinjiang's geographical characteristics make development challenging. There is a possibility that Xinjiang, traditionally an agriculture-centered region focusing on cotton, could be developed into an area for aviation and advanced scientific technology.

Xinhua added that the outgoing Party Secretary Chen would be assigned another position later. This mention is highly unusual, as it is customary not to comment on retiring officials.

Chen served as Party Secretary of the Tibet (Xizang) Autonomous Region from 2011 to 2016 before becoming Party Secretary of Xinjiang in 2016. Both Tibet and Xinjiang are minority autonomous regions with independence issues, making them genuinely troublesome areas. Chen is regarded as having strong trust from President Xi Jinping, having been appointed a member of the Central Political Bureau (total 25 members), the Party leadership, at the 19th Party Congress in 2017. Consequently, his name is on the U.S. sanctions list.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Therefore, the prevailing assessment is that Chen's removal from his post is a preparatory step for promotion. There is speculation that Chen may be appointed as a Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau (7 members) at the 20th Party Congress next year. Currently, the Standing Committee members include President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, former NPC Standing Committee Chairman Li Zhanshu, CPPCC Chairman Wang Yang, Central Secretariat Secretary Wang Huning, Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Secretary Zhao Leji, and Vice Premier Han Zheng.

Within China, the replacement of the Xinjiang Party Secretary is viewed more as an internal personnel matter rather than a gesture of reconciliation toward the Western camp, including the United States. It is seen as a personnel move carried out according to their political schedule. By appointing a sanctioned individual to the highest political power organ, the Chinese leadership may be signaling that it will not be swayed by future U.S. sanctions or pressure.

Chinese state media have been continuously publishing articles condemning the United States and other Western countries for interfering in China's internal affairs under the pretext of Xinjiang human rights issues. They also warn that U.S. pressure will instead unite the Chinese people.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government has announced its political schedule for next year, stating that the Two Sessions (National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) will be held on March 4, with the NPC annual meeting scheduled for March 5.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.