‘Liberal’ policy chief unlikely to mean a softening on Xinjiang from China
- Appointment of Wang Yang seen as ‘calculated move’ to assuage international concerns
- Analysts doubt it will mean a change in Beijing’s hardline approach to the region
A senior Chinese leader known for his relatively liberal style of governance has been named the ruling Communist Party’s handler of Xinjiang policy, amid increasing international criticism over the mass detention of Muslim minorities in the far western region.
Wang Yang, a member of the party’s policymaking Politburo Standing Committee, attended a high-level three-day conference in Xinjiang as head of the Central Committee’s Xinjiang Work Coordination Small Group, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported after the meeting ended on Tuesday.
The small group, first formed in 2000, has been instrumental in shaping and implementing Beijing’s Xinjiang policies. It brings together officials from across party and state apparatus to coordinate various policy fronts from security, ethnic and political issues to economic.
Wang’s new role was largely expected since he is chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) – China’s top political advisory body. His predecessor, Yu Zhengsheng, also headed the coordination group when he was CPPCC chairman.
However, analysts said the timing of the announcement suggested it was a calculated move by the leadership to assuage growing international concerns over the detention of an estimated one million or more Uygurs and other Muslim minorities in what the Chinese government calls “vocational training centres” in Xinjiang.
