China's top legislature appointed Saturday a former governor of an agricultural province as the new agricultural minister.
The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC),or the top legislature, voted to appoint Han Changfu, former governor of northeastern Jilin Province, as the agricultural minister.
Han is also secretary of the ministry's leading Party group.
Former Minister of Agriculture Sun Zhengcai has become the Party chief of Jilin Province, amid the latest reshuffle of provincial leaders announced by the Communist Party of China (CPC)Central Committee last month.
The top legislature also appointed four vice chairmen for its special committees:
-- Xu Guangchun, former Party chief of central Henan Province, and Chu Bo, former Party chief of northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, were both appointed vice chairmen of the NPC Financial and Economic Affairs Committee.
-- Former Chongqing Mayor Wang Hongju and former Liaoning Partychief Zhang Wenyue, were both appointed vice chairmen of the NPC Environment Protection and Resources Conservation Committee.
Xu, Chu and Zhang have reached the upper age limit of 65 for provincial officials.
Wang, 64, who had served as mayor of southwestern Chongqing Municipality since January 2003, resigned from the post earlier this month.