ABSTRACT
By early 1947, the weaknesses inherent in a coalition became more and more apparent in the Xinjiang Provincial Coalition Government. This chapter examines the militarist attempt to strengthen the Han Chinese position in Xinjiang during Zhang's absence from the region, and Zhang's attempts upon his return to restore unity to the provincial government. Discussion of the incident is thus included in this chapter as further evidence of the influence of the military line in Xinjiang politics during the last months of the coalition. Although Zhang and other members of the coalition had been away, the provincial government, under the leadership of Acting Chairman Rahim Jan Sabri, had continued to work on the region's financial problems. During the first months of the coalition, the personal prestige and character of Zhang Zhizhong had been instrumental in making it work.
