Xi Jinping, a pro-reform provincial party chief, was appointed to head
Shanghai as part of a wide reshuffling of leading provincial-level
appointments during the weekend, the Wall Street Journal
reported. Xi, 53, is widely seen as a contender for a top post in the
central government and has a reputation for pro-market policies, the
newspaper reported. His job will be to stabilize the management of the
city rocked by a corruption scandal that marked the end of his
predecessor's career. He is the former party secretary of Zhejiang province,
which borders Shanghai, and will take over from Shanghai Mayor Han
Zheng, who has been standing in as acting party secretary since last year.
Several other new positions were announced over the weekend, including
new party secretaries for Tianjin municipality and Shaanxi province.