The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has seen a significant leadership change, with Chen Xiaojiang appointed as the new Party Secretary, succeeding Ma Xingrui. The official announcement, reported by Xinhua News Agency on July 1, 2025, stated that Comrade Ma Xingrui would no longer concurrently hold the positions of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Party Secretary, Standing Committee member, and Committee member, and has been assigned to another post. Comrade Chen Xiaojiang has been appointed as a member of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Party Committee, Standing Committee, and Secretary.
Ma Xingrui, born in October 1959, is a distinguished aerospace engineer who transitioned into a prominent political career. A native of Yuncheng, Shandong, he was born in Shuangyashan, Heilongjiang. He holds a doctorate in mechanics from Harbin Institute of Technology, where he also served as a professor and vice-president. His extensive background in the aerospace sector includes roles as Vice President of the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and later as General Manager and Party Secretary of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). Notably, he was the chief commander of China’s successful Chang’e 3 lunar exploration mission. In 2007, he was elected as an academician of the International Academy of Astronautics.
Ma’s political career began in 2013 when he was appointed Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology, concurrently serving as Director of the China National Space Administration, Director of the China Atomic Energy Authority, and Director of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. Later that year, he moved to Guangdong Province, serving as Deputy Party Secretary. In March 2015, he became the Party Secretary of Shenzhen, and in December 2016, he was appointed acting Governor of Guangdong, becoming the first non-native governor of the province in over three decades. He was officially elected Governor in January 2017, a position he held until December 2021.
In December 2021, Ma Xingrui was appointed Party Secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, also serving as the First Secretary and First Political Commissar of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. In October 2022, he was elected a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, elevating him to a national leadership role. During his tenure in Xinjiang, Ma implemented some notable changes, including restoring two-day weekends for public officials and removing turnstiles in residential areas. He also engaged in foreign diplomacy, visiting Kazakhstan in March 2023 – a first for a Xinjiang Party Secretary in years – and meeting with officials from the International Labour Organization and the Turkish foreign minister. He also met with Temasek executives from Singapore to boost foreign investment in the region. In March 2024, he stated that the “sinicization” of Islam in Xinjiang is “inevitable.” His term also saw significant events, including widespread protests in Urumqi following a fire in November 2022.
The newly appointed Party Secretary, Chen Xiaojiang, born in June 1962 in Longyou, Zhejiang, brings a diverse background to his new role. He began his career in the water conservancy system, working for various water-related newspapers and holding positions within the Ministry of Water Resources, including Director of the General Office and Director of the Yellow River Conservancy Commission. In 2015, Chen transitioned to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), serving as the head of its Publicity Department. The following year, he was appointed Secretary of the Liaoning Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission, where he played a key role in addressing the high-profile “Liaoning vote-buying case.” In 2017, he was promoted to Deputy Secretary of the CCDI and Vice Minister of Supervision, later becoming Deputy Director of the National Supervisory Commission after the national supervision system reform in 2018.
In December 2020, Chen Xiaojiang moved to the United Front Work Department, serving as Vice Minister and concurrently as Director and Party Secretary of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission. In February 2022, he was appointed Executive Vice Minister of the United Front Work Department, a position he held until this latest appointment. Given Xinjiang’s critical strategic importance, which accounts for approximately one-sixth of China’s landmass, the Party Secretary of the region traditionally holds a seat on the Politburo. Chen Xiaojiang’s extensive experience in disciplinary inspection and ethnic affairs is expected to be highly relevant to his leadership in Xinjiang, signaling a continued focus on stability and ethnic policy in the region.
