Asia Times reports on the recent Party reshuffle in the provinces and what it portends for the upcoming Party congress and beyond:
Shortly after the conclusion of the annual session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) in mid-March, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has begun a new round of reshuffling its provincial leaders as a preparation for the convention of its 17th National Congress this autumn…
By the end of last year, 14 provinces had completed the reshuffle. The remaining 17 provinces, including the above-said six, will need to complete the reshuffle in the second quarter. New party secretaries for 11 of the remaining 17 provinces have yet to be announced.
Of the six newly appointed provincial party chiefs, three are in their 50s and therefore could be regarded as the “fifth generation” cadres who may move up the official hierarchy in future. [Full text]