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Question mark hangs over future of high-profile former Xinjiang Communist Party boss

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Zhang Chunxian at the Great Hall of the People earlier this year when he was the Communist Party secretary of Xinjiang. Photo: Simon Song

A question mark hangs over the future of a former Communist Party boss of Xinjiang with his appointment to a low-key group overseeing party development.

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Zhang Chunxian has been appointed deputy chief of the Central Leading Group for Party Building, ending nearly two months of guessing over the high-profile politician’s next move.

Xinhua reported yesterday on a trip to Shaanxi that Zhang made, and for the first time mentioned his new role in the group.

The report also revealed that Zhang, one of the 25 members of the party’s leading Politburo, had retained his role as deputy chief in another steering group on Xinjiang affairs.

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But in a rare departure, the report did not say if any top regional party or government officials accompanied Zhang on the trip – often a sign of a politician’s prospects in protocol-conscious but opaque mainland politics.

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