CPC Central Committee names new heads in Shanghai and six provinces

The Communist Party of China Central Committee has appointed new Party chiefs for six provinces and one municipality during the weekend as a part of the latest reshuffles among Party officials.

Li Qiang was named top Party official in Shanghai, replacing Han Zheng, who was elected as a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Wednesday, Xinhua News Agency reported on Sunday.

Li, 58, became Party chief of Jiangsu province in 2016 after working in neighboring Zhejiang province for 40 years. He became a member of the newly elected Political Bureau last week.

Li Qiang said Shanghai will continue its efforts to be the vanguard of the country's reform and opening-up. The city will also strive to become a pioneer in innovation, he said.

Also on Saturday, Li Xi, former Party chief of Liaoning province, replaced Hu Chunhua as new Party chief in Guangdong province.

Li Xi, 61, is also a new member of the Political Bureau. He said last week that he had been working hard to reverse the economic downward pressure in Liaoning caused by a damaged political ecosystem. Former Liaoning Party chief Wang Min - predecessor of Li Xi - was sentenced to life in prison in August 2016 for taking bribes and neglecting his duty.

The new appointments were announced among local officials during the weekend. Li Xi said he will enforce discipline among officials in Guangdong and make sure the province takes the lead in achieving China's goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all aspects.

The appointments in Shanghai and Guangdong were announced by Chen Xi, newly appointed head of the CPC Central Committee Organization Department.

Lou Qinjian, 60, former Party chief of Shaanxi province, is Jiangsu's new Party chief while Hu Heping, 55, former governor of Shaanxi, replaces Lou as the top Party official in the province.

Chen Qiufa, the newly appointed Party chief of Liaoning, said he will neither make unreasonable promises nor launch superficial projects, which would not fundamentally contribute to the revival of the province. Chen Qiufa, 63, is the former governor of the province.

Also on Saturday, Yu Weiguo was appointed Party chief of Fujian province, replacing You Quan, who is now a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee - an administrative body of the Political Bureau and its Standing Committee.

Yu, 62, former governor of Fujian, said he will strictly execute his power in accordance with the law and supervision from all parties is welcomed. He will also go to the grassroots level right away to unite the people to build a new Fujian, he added.

Wang Dongfeng, 59, the newly appointed Party chief of Hebei province, said he will make sure the planning of the Xiongan New Area and the 2022 Winter Olympics is done according to high standards. Wang Dongfeng formerly was deputy Party secretary and mayor of Tianjin.

The CPC Central Committee also announced that Zhao Kezhi, the former Party chief of Hebei, will be moved to a new, unspecified position.

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