China appoints Wang Junzheng as new Communist Party Chief in Tibet
Oct 19, 2021
Beijing [China], October 19 : The Chinese Communist Party has appointed Wang Junzheng, the former Xinjiang Security Chief as the new Communist Party chief in Tibet, Voice of America (VOA) reported on Tuesday.
Wang Junzheng is taking over the Tibetan portfolio after serving as deputy party secretary and security chief in the remote northwest territory.
Citing Chinese state-run media, VOA reported that a high-ranking official sanctioned by the West for alleged human rights abuses in the country's far northwestern Xinjiang province has been selected by the ruling Communist Party to oversee Tibet.
According to the publication, the 58-year-old Wang is one of several Chinese officials sanctioned by the United States, European Union, Britain and Canada for human rights abuses against the Muslim Uyghur minority in China's Xinjiang province, a move that prompted retaliation from Beijing.
Beijing has been rebuked globally for cracking down on Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang by sending them to mass detention camps, interfering in their religious activities and subjecting them to abuse including forced labour. However, Chinese authorities continue to deny all charges.
Human rights advocates said about 1 million Uyghurs are being held in camps. Some accuse Beijing of torture, forced sterilization and forced labor, VOA reported. It further stated that China maintains its actions in Xinjiang are to root out Islamic extremism.
Tibet is ruled by the Chinese Communist Party government based in Beijing, with local decision-making power concentrated in the hands of Chinese party officials. The Chinese government uses blanket charges like 'inciting separatism' to suppress the voices of dissent.
Tibet was a sovereign state before China's invasion in 1950 when the People's Liberation Army (PLA) entered northern Tibet.
