By Martin Quin Pollard

SHANGHAI, (Reuters) – China’s recent change in leadership in Xinjiang may indicate a greater focus on regional economic development, experts suggested. However, it is not likely that its security crackdown against minority Muslims will see a major shift in direction.

According to Xinhua, Chen Quanguo was replaced by a new security officer after five years.

Chen (66), a member China’s Politburo was elected secretary of the Xinjiang Communist Party. Ma Xingrui was Guangdong governor. Analysts believe Ma’s leadership of Guangdong (China’s biggest provincial economy) may have been a reason he was selected.

James Millward of Georgetown University, professor of history, said that he believes one reason for this appointment was to indicate Xinjiang’s ‘normalcy,’ even though there will be no normal, and emphasize the region’s ‘economic growth’.

The United States has labelled China’s treatment of ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslims in Xinjiang as genocide. This issue has prompted the United States, along with a handful of other countries to plan a diplomatic boycott at Beijing’s Winter Olympics.

U.N. researchers and experts have calculated that over a million ethnic Uyghurs were held in interment centers since 2016.

China strongly rejects any allegations of abuse. It says that its policies regarding Xinjiang will help eradicate extremism. Beijing declared that all people who were in “vocational training centers” had “graduated” by the end of 2019.

Over concerns over forced labor, the U.S. President Joe Biden passed legislation last week banning imports of Xinjiang. This prompted further condemnation from China.

When Reuters was asked if the Xinjiang leadership change came in the wake of international pressure or if this signals a change to the policy in the region’s, China’s foreign ministry responded that it is a “normal personnel change” in China.

MISSION COMPLETED

Wu Qiang, a Beijing-based political analyst who used to be a lecturer at Tsinghua University, stated that Chen had been seen as having “completed his mission in Xinjiang”. He was one of many analysts who believed Chen should get a promotion during the larger reshuffle in preparation for next year’s Communist Party Congress.

Wu stated, “I don’t believe his political career is over here.”

Chen previously served as party chief in Tibet (another border conflict region), where he honed many of the strategies used in Xinjiang.

Xinhua stated that Chen would be moving to another position, but didn’t give any details.

Wu stated, “I think that Xinjiang will experience some adjustments,” Wu explained.

China increased promotion of Xinjiang in this regard last year.

Experts believe that Ma is an engineer in aerospace and an ex-industry executive. However, this does not mean that China has changed its direction. Chen implemented measures in Xinjiang but President Xi Jinping led China’s broader strategy.

Ma (62), spoke Saturday in a speech, stating that he would continue to pursue social stability and long term stability as the goal of Xinjiang’s work. This was according state media. It is consistent with Chen.

Ma stated that “high-quality” economic growth will be a major focus during Monday’s visit to Urumqi’s Xinjiang international Grand bazaar.

Ma declared, in accordance with a Xinjiang Daily article: “We have to modernise our supply chains.”

“We need to deepen the reform of “decentralization” and “management of services”, encourage tax and fee reductions, create a market-oriented, law-based, international business environment.”