Senior party officials retire

The retirement of a number of senior party officials was announced at the end of China's 17th Communist Party Congress, signaling a reshuffle in the upper ranks of the party, the Wall Street Journal reported. Zeng Qinghong, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee and China's vice president, and fellow standing committee members Wu Guanzheng, the party's anti-corruption head, and Luo Gan, the police and court system head, have all retired from their posts. All three were over 68 years old, the party's unofficial retirement age. Wu Yi, a vice premier who has been China's chief negotiator with the US on trade and economic matters, and Zeng Peiyan, a vice premier in charge of infrastructure development, also retired. The officials are likely to continue their government duties for several more months. Their retirements were indicated by their exclusion from the new 204-person Central Committee lineup, a party leadership body. The committee is expected to hold its first meeting today and announce the new makeup of the Politburo and its standing committee.