The appointments of the minister of public security and the Party chiefs of Shanghai and Hubei were announced over the weekend.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, yesterday approved the cabinet nomination of Meng Jianzhu, former Party chief of East China's Jiangxi Province, as the new minister of public security.

Meng, 60, replaces Zhou Yongkang, who was elected a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee at the first plenary session of the 17th CPC Central Committee last Monday.

Meng, born in Jiangsu Province, joined the CPC in 1971. Before moving to Jiangxi as the Party chief, he served as deputy Party chief of Shanghai from 1996 to 2001.

According to a decision of the CPC Central Committee, Yu Zhengsheng, former Party secretary of Hubei Province, takes over as Shanghai Party chief, replacing Xi Jinping. Xi was also elected a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee a week ago.

Yu, 62, is a native of Shaoxing in Zhejiang. He graduated from Harbin Military Engineering Institute, majoring in automatic control of ballistic missiles and joined the CPC in 1964.

Before serving as Party chief of Hubei Province, Yu was minister of construction from 1998 to 2001.

Luo Qingquan, governor of Hubei, becomes the province's new Party chief.

With the Party unveiling a new leadership a week ago, more personnel changes are expected at the provincial level in the coming weeks.

(China Daily, Xinhua News Agency October 29, 2007)