China has reshuffled the leadership of four major provinces and two ministries as President Hu Jintao consolidates power and strengthens Beijing's control over local authorities, a Hong Kong newspaper reported on Saturday.
The leadership changes involve the General Administration of Press and Publications (GAPP) and the Ministry of Communications, the English-language South China Morning Post said quoting unidentified mainland officials.
The Post report came a day after Hong Kong's pro-Beijing Wen Wei Po ran a story on the new appointments.
Long Xinmin, a deputy Beijing Municipal party secretary, has become the minister of GAPP, to manage and supervise the mainland's print media and publishing houses, it said. Long replaces Shi Zhongyuan, who has become the party secretary of Guizhou province.
President Hu has increasingly rotated senior government and local officials after they have served four or five years in a post to strengthen the central government's control over local officials and prevent corruption, the paper said.
Li Shenglin, a deputy minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, takes up the post of minister of communications, replacing Zhang Chunxian, it said. Zhang becomes party secretary of Hunan province, replacing Yang Zhengwu, who has reached 65, the mandatory retirement age for senior officials, the paper said.
Separately, Wang Yang, a deputy secretary-general of the State Council and an ally of Hu has been appointed as the party secretary of Chongqing municipality, the report said.
Qian Yunlu, party secretary of Guizhou province replaces Song Fatang as party secretary of Heilongjiang province. Song has retired, it said.
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