The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on Dec. 25 replaced the far-western Xinjiang region’s Party chief, according to state news agency Xinhua.
Ma Xingrui, the governor of southern Guangdong Province, has been appointed as the new Party chief of Xinjiang, according to the report.
The appointment comes days after U.S. President Joe Biden signed a bill banning all imports from Xinjiang unless companies can prove products aren’t made with forced labor.
Chinese commentator Tian Yun noted the replacement of the Party boss in Xinjiang didn’t signal the CCP would change its approach in the region.
“The CCP’s nature—persecuting people—is inherent,” said Tian.
More than a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have been incarcerated in internment camps in Xinjiang, where they have been subjected to forced sterilization, torture, political indoctrination, and forced labor.
The communist regime denies all accusations and claims the “vocational training centers” in Xinjiang are for “combating extremism.”
Among those to be hit with U.S. sanctions for persecuting Uyghurs, Chen is the most senior Chinese official, who was promoted to the Party’s Politburo Standing Committee in 2017. The 25-member Politburo is the most powerful decision-making body in China.
Some observers suggested that the regime may reward Chen for his carrying out of the CCP’s harsh policies during the 20th Party congress next autumn, during which a new group of top leaders will be unveiled.