People's Daily head promoted

The former president of the state-run People’s Daily was named the new minister for the State Council’s Information Office, becoming the government’s top spokesman, the South China Morning Post reported. The appointment of Wang Chen is part of a personnel reshuffle at the top of China’s propaganda machine following the departure of Cai Wu, who was appointed minister of culture at last month’s National People’s Congress. Zhang Yannong, the newspaper’s former editor-in-chief, will replace Wang as president of the Communist Party’s mouthpiece. Wu Hengquan was named editor-in-chief of People’s Daily. The reshuffle was the largest of its kind in a decade.