China's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), endorsed on Monday Premier Li Keqiang's nominations of ministers, heads of commissions, governor of the central bank and auditor-general.[Special coverage]
Among the 26 ministerial-level posts, seven are leading the new ministries, which were created as part of an institutional restructuring plan proposed by the State Council, the cabinet, to the ongoing first session of the 13th NPC.
Who are leading the new ministries?
Lu Hao, minister of Natural Resources
Lu Hao was born in 1967 in Shanghai. He has served as the governor of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province since 2013.
Li Ganjie, minister of Ecological Environment
Li Ganjie was born in 1964 in central China's Hunan Province. Before taking office in the newly created Ecological Environment Ministry, Li was heading the Environmental Protection Ministry in June 2017.
Han Changfu, minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Han Changfu was born in Binxian County in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province in 1954. He has headed the Ministry of Agriculture since 2009, before it was dismantled in the government reorganization reform.
Luo Shugang, minister of Culture and Tourism
Luo Shugang was born in 1955 in Hebei Province, north China. Before taking office as the Minister of Culture in 2014, Luo had worked in the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee since 2000. The Ministry of Culture was dismantled as part of the new government reorganization reform.
Ma Xiaowei, director of National Health Commission
Ma Xiaowei was born in 1959 in north China's Shanxi Province. He was the deputy head of the dismantled National Health and Family Planning Commission.
Sun Zhaocheng, minister of Veterans Affairs
Sun Zhaocheng was born in 1960 in eastern Shandong Province. He became deputy head of the Ministry of Civil Affairs in March 2017. During the 2014-2017 period, Sun was a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee.
Wang Yupu, minister of Emergency Management
Wang Yupu was born in 1956 in northeast Liaoning Province. He was the chairman of the China Petrochemical Corporation (SINOPEC) between 2015 and 2017, and later became the Party Secretary of State Administration of Work Safety, a non-ministerial work safety agency reporting to the State Council.
