Zhang Gaoli has been appointed secretary of the Tianjin Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), to replace Zhang Lichang, according to a decision by the CPC Central Committee.

Zhang Gaoli, 61, a native of Jinjiang, east China's Fujian Province, graduated from the Economics Department of Xiamen University in 1970.

He spent most of his time in Guangdong Province, south China, serving as director of the provincial economic commission, deputy governor, Party secretary of Shenzhen City, deputy Party secretary of Guangdong Province.

Zhang Gaoli was appointed as deputy governor and acting governor of Shandong Province, east China, in 2001, and became governor of the province the next year. He was elected as the Party chief of the province in November 2002. He also served as chairman of the Standing Committee of Shandong Provincial People's Congress in April 2003 after he resigned from the post of governor in January of the same year.

In another decision by the CPC Central Committee, Zhao Hongzhu has been appointed secretary of CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee to replace Xi Jinping, who has been earlier appointed secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of CPC.

Zhao, 60, and a native of Penglai county, Shandong, served as deputy minister of supervision from April 1998 to July 2000. He has been deputy head of the Organization Department of CPC Central Committee since November 2002.

Zhao was twice elected as a member on the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection at the 15th and 16th CPC congresses held in September 1997 and November 2002, respectively.

Source: Xinhua