China approved its top energy official, Chen Deming, as the country's Commerce Minister on Saturday, one of a slew of personnel changes following a five-yearly Communist Party meeting.
Chen, 58, had been deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission since June 2006. He replaces Bo Xilai, who was named to head the huge western municipality of Chongqing earlier this month.
The announcement was made as the Standing Committee of China's rubber-stamp legislature wrapped up a week-long session. Lawmakers also approved Tianjin Vice Mayor Huang Xingguo to take over as acting mayor of the north-eastern port city, the latest testing ground for China's financial reforms.
Huang replaces Dai Xianglong, who resigned from the post. Dai, formerly a central bank governor, is tipped to enter China's cabinet, or State Council.
Two of China's regions also got new leaders, with Nur Bekri, from the ethnic Uighur minority, appointed acting chairman of the restive north-western region of Xinjiang, and Ma Biao made acting chairman in southern Guangxi.
The positions are likely to be formalised when China's legislature meets for its annual full session, which Xinhua said on Saturday will open on March 5 and run for about two weeks. The session will elect new state leaders, including the president, following the Communist Party Congress in October which selected leaders for Party posts.
The process is mostly a formality that will see Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao chosen again as president and premier. But the post for vice-president will be closely watched, with China's powerful Vice-President Zeng Qinghong due to retire.
Zeng gave up his Party post on the nine-man Politburo Standing Committee in October.
The front-runner to replace him as vice-president is Xi Jinping, favoured to lead the country when Hu retires in 2012, but the post could go to others on the Standing Committee, including Hu protege Li Keqiang.
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