The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CPC), headed by President Xi Jinping, has abruptly replaced its chief in volatile Xinjiang province, Chen Quanguo, who was sanctioned by the US over alleged human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in the region. Chen no longer serves as Secretary of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Regional Committee of the CPC, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.
Ma Xingrui, who was governor of Guangdong province, has been appointed as new party chief for Xinjiang. The CPC Central Committee has decided to give Chen another appointment, the news agency said in a brief report.
Chen has been accused by US, the UK and European Union of widespread human rights abuses against Uyghurs, but he is tipped for a promotion, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on the development.
Last year, the US government had slapped sanctions against Chen and several other Chinese officials in-charge of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, stating they were “believed to be responsible for, or complicit in unjust detention or abuse of Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs and members of other minority groups in Xinjiang”.
The three Chinese officials banned by US were Chen Quanguo, CCP Party Secretary of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Zhu Hailun, the then Party Secretary of Xinjiang Political and Legal Committee and Wang Mingshan, the Party Secretary of Xinjiang Public Security Bureau.
