Chairman of Xinjiang

Chairman of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region People's Government
新疆维吾尔自治区人民政府主席
National Emblem of China
Flag of China
Incumbent Erkin Tuniyaz since 30 September 2021
People's Government of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region
Type	Head of government
Status	Provincial and ministerial-level official
Reports to	Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region People's Congress and its Standing Committee
Nominator	Presidium of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region People's Congress
Appointer	Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region People's Congress
Term length	Five years, renewable
Inaugural holder	Burhan Shahidi
Formation	October 1949
Deputy	Deputy Chairperson Secretary-General

The Chairman of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region People's Government is the head of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and leader of the People's Government of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The chairperson is elected by the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional People's Congress, and responsible to it and its Standing Committee. The chairperson is a provincial level official and is responsible for the overall decision-making of the regional government. The chairperson is assisted by an executive vice chairperson as well as several vice chairpersons. The chairperson generally serves as the deputy secretary of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and as a member of the CCP Central Committee. The chairperson is the second-highest ranking official in the autonomous region after the secretary of the CCP Xinjiang Committee. The government chairman is always an Uyghur. ^[1] The current chairperson is Erkin Tuniyaz, who took office on 30 September 2021.

List

Republic of China

  Non-partisan/ unknown  Warlords   People's Anti-Imperialist Association    Kuomintang (Nationalist)

Chairperson of the Provincial Government (Mainland era)

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–death)	Term of office		Political Party
1		Yang Zengxin 楊增新Yáng Zēngxīn(1864–1928)	1912	July 7, 1928	Xinjiang clique
			Assassinated.
2		Jin Shuren 金樹仁Jīn Shùrén(1879–1941)	July 7, 1928	April 12, 1933	Xinjiang clique
			Deposed in a coup.
3		Liu Wenlong 劉文龍Liú Wénlóng(1870–1950)	April 14, 1933	September 1933
			Removed from office and placed under house arrest by Sheng Shicai.
–		Zhu Ruichi 朱瑞墀Zhū Ruìchí(1862–1934)	September 1933	March 5, 1934
			Figurehead chairman appointed by Sheng Shicai and not recognized by the Central government. Died in office.
4		Li Rong 李溶Lǐ Róng(1870–1940)	October 1934	March 21, 1940
			Figurehead chairman. Died in office.
5		Sheng Shicai 盛世才Shèng Shìcái(1895–1970)	April 4, 1940	August 29, 1944	People's Anti-Imperialist Association
			Kuomintang
	Recognized by the Central government only as a duban (military governor), Sheng was de facto ruler of Sinkiang from 1933. In 1940, the Central government recognized him as Provincial chairman. Removed from office.
6		Wu Zhongxin 吳忠信Wú Zhōngxìn(1884–1959)	August 29, 1944	March 29, 1946	Kuomintang
			Resigned.
7		Zhang Zhizhong 張治中Zhāng Zhìzhōng(1895–1969)	March 1946	June 1947	Kuomintang
			Removed from office.
8		Masud Sabri 麥斯武德مەسئۇت سابرى(1887–1952)	June 1947	January 1949	Kuomintang
			First Uighur governor and first non-Han Governor in China during the twentieth century. Appointed during the Ili Rebellion.
9		Burhan Shahidi 包爾漢بۇرھان شەھىدى(1894–1989)	January 1949	September 26, 1949	Kuomintang
			Surrendered to the People's Liberation Army.

Xinjiang Provincial Government Office era

Chairperson of the Provincial Government

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–death)	Term of office		Political party
1		Yulbars Khan 堯樂博士يۇلبارس خان(1888–1971)	April 11, 1950	July 27, 1971	Kuomintang
			Died in office.

Director, Xinjiang Provincial Government Office

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–death)	Term of office		Political party
1		Yao Tao-hung 堯道宏Yáo Dàohóng(1913–1991)	July 27, 1971	?	Kuomintang
			Son of Yulbars Khan.
2		Hou Chi-yu 侯紀峪Hóu Jìyù	?	January 16, 1992	Kuomintang
			Post abolished.

People's Republic of China

No.	Officeholder		Term of office		Party	Ref.
			Took office	Left office
Governor of the Xinjiang Provincial People's Government
1		Burhan Shahidi (1894–1989)	October 1949	January 1955	Chinese Communist Party
Chairman of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region People's Committee
2		Saifuddin Azizi (1915–2003)	October 1955	January 1967	Chinese Communist Party
Chairman of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Revolutionary Committee
3		Long Shujin (1910–2003)	1968	July 1972	Chinese Communist Party
4		Saifuddin Azizi (1915–2003)	1972	1978
5		Wang Feng (1910–1998)	1978	1979
Chairman of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region People's Government
6		Ismail Amat (1935–2018)	1979	1985	Chinese Communist Party	[2]
7		Tömür Dawamat (1927–2018)	1985	1993		[3]
8		Ablet Abdureshit (born 1938)	January 1993	January 2003		[4]
9		Ismail Tiliwaldi (born 1944)	January 2003	December 2007		[5]
10		Nur Bekri (born 1961)	22 January 2008	31 December 2014		[6]
11		Shohrat Zakir (born 1953)	24 January 2015	30 September 2021		[7]
12		Erkin Tuniyaz (born 1961)	27 January 2022 (acting from 30 September 2021)	Incumbent		[8]

References

1. "Decoding Chinese Politics". Asia Society . Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
2. "Biography of Ismail Amat". China Vitae. Archived from the original on 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2018-10-16.
3. "历任政府领导" . Retrieved 22 December 2023.
4. "Abdul'ahat Abdulrixit -- china.org.cn". China.org.cn. 2009-09-17. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
5. "司马义·铁力瓦尔地简历". Xinhua. Archived from the original on 2015-10-20.
6. "Chairman Seen as Lame Duck". Radio Free Asia. 19 October 2012.
7. "Brief introduction of vice chairpersons, secretary-general of 14th NPC Standing Committee". State Council of China. 11 March 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2025.
8. "Erkin Tuniyaz elected chairman of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region-Xinhua". english.news.cn. Xinhua News Agency. 27 January 2021. Retrieved 21 February 2023.