China's ethnic affairs overseer to take Communist Party helm in Xinjiang
Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region
In a one-paragraph announcement on Tuesday, state news agency Xinhua said the party's Central Committee 'recently decided' that Chen Xiaojiang would serve as party secretary of Xinjiang.
The move might clear the path for Chen, one of the 300 or so members of the Central Committee, to be promoted within the party's hierarchy, given that the Xinjiang party chief traditionally has a seat on the now 24-strong Politburo.
Beijing regards the stability of the region – which covers one-sixth of China and is a vital road link to Central Asia and the Middle East – as critical for its international infrastructure push, the
Belt and Road Initiative
Chen's predecessor,
Ma Xingrui , 'will be appointed to another position', according to the announcement.
Chen, 63, heads to Xinjiang after a stint as the executive deputy minister of the United Front Work Department.
The department is the party organ responsible for relations with non-party groups and individuals inside and outside mainland China, a brief that includes oversight of ethnic affairs and religious organisations within the country.
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