China removes Xinjiang official sanctioned by US

Beijing, December 25

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The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CPC), headed by President Xi Jinping, has abruptly replaced its chief in the 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 the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Regional Committee.

Ma Xingrui, who was the 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 the US, the UK and the European Union of widespread human rights abuses against Uyghurs. Last year, the US government had slapped sanctions against Chen and several other Chinese officials in-charge of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The three Chinese officials banned by the US were Chen Quanguo, CCP Party Secretary of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Zhu Hailun, the then Party Secretary of the Xinjiang Political and Legal Committee, and Wang Mingshan, the Party Secretary of the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau.

In a tit-for-tat move, China had imposed sanctions against US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), the then US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom Samuel Brownback, US Senators Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Congressman Chris Smit. — PTI