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Xinjiang's dovish leader shows his claws

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Xinjiang's new party secretary has stressed the need to safeguard regional stability and fight separatism in hardline remarks that contrast with his image as an open-minded moderate.

Zhang Chunxian has held a series of meetings with representatives from the Xinjiang Regional Military Area, Regional Armed Police Force, the Production and Construction Corps and the regional Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference since being named the restive region's Communist Party secretary late last month.

The Xinjiang Daily reported that during meetings with military officers on Thursday and Saturday, Zhang called on those present to keep clear heads and take their jobs seriously, stressing that 'the battle against separatist forces in Xinjiang is severe, complex and intense, while the basis for maintaining stability remains fragile'.

Zhang told the military personnel that stability was an overriding priority and safeguarding it was their most important duty, the report said.

'Please make an all-out effort in preventing and combatting various separatist and sabotage activities, particularly those in relation to the 'three forces' of terrorism, separatism and extremism,' he said.

The media-savvy Zhang was one of the most popular regional leaders on the mainland when party secretary of Hunan, before being sent to Xinjiang to replace the hardline Wang Lequan. The reshuffle was generally regarded as a sign of a possible subtle change in Beijing's rule over the Uygur-dominated region.

In contrast, Wang was widely considered one of the most unpopular regional party heads, long accused of pursuing iron-fisted policies that were blamed by some for triggering the bloody clashes between Han Chinese and Uygurs in July that left nearly 200 dead and thousands injured.

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