A reshuffle of top personnel was announced over the weekend with the appointment of five provincial Party chiefs and the head of the Party's United Front Work Department.

 

 

Bo Xilai has been appointed secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), a statement from the CPC Central Committee said on Saturday.

 

Bo, 58, replaces 52-year-old Wang Yang, who has been named the Party secretary of Guangdong Province. Bo retains his post as minister of commerce.

 

Zhang Dejiang, 61, who is a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, is no longer the Guangdong Party head, according to the statement.

 

Another statement from the CPC Central Committee said yesterday that Du Qinglin has been appointed the head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee to replace Liu Yandong.

 

Liu, 62, vice-chairwoman of the 10th CPPCC National Committee, was elected member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in October.

 

Du, born in 1946, is no longer the Party secretary of Sichuan Province. Liu Qibao, former Party secretary of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, took the post, the statement said.

 

Liu is replaced by Guo Shengkun, 53, who was formerly the deputy Party secretary of Guangxi.

 

At the same time, Wang Jinshan, former deputy Party secretary of Anhui Province, has been promoted to be Party secretary of the province, according to the CPC Central Committee.

 

Wang, 62, replaces Guo Jinlong, who was appointed vice-mayor and acting mayor of Beijing by the standing committee of the Beijing municipal people's congress on Friday.

 

The personnel changes are part of a broad reshuffle of top positions after the 17th CPC National Congress.

 

They also follow the Party's reaffirmation of its goal of sustaining the economy's rapid expansion while channeling more growth to lagging rural and interior areas and setting up a better safety net for the poor.

 

Addressing his first meeting in Chongqing at the weekend, Bo Xilai pledged to boost balanced development between urban and rural areas, as well as to fight corruption.

 

"None of my relatives or friends can have privileges in Chongqing. If the public finds any violation, do stop it and tell us," Bo said.

 

Newly appointed Guangdong Party head Wang Yang said that he is confident of the province's future.

 

"We must adhere to the reform and opening-up policy to build an even brighter future," Wang said while addressing a local meeting on Saturday. "As for myself, I'll try my best to be a good 'Guangdonger' and a trustworthy public servant."

 

Wang also pledged that the province will continue to support Hong Kong and Macao to help the special administrative regions maintain stability and growth.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 3, 2007)