YANG XIAODU was elected director of the national supervisory commission yesterday morning at the ongoing first session of the 13th National People’s Congress.

Yang was elected at the sixth plenary meeting of the first session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC).

Yang, born in 1953, is currently a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau and deputy secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

He is the first director of the national supervisory commission, the national agency of a new anti-graft and supervisory network that was endorsed by the constitutional amendment about a week ago.

The revised Constitution, adopted by the 13th NPC on March 11, first listed supervisory commissions as a new type of State organ.

As the supreme supervisory organ, the national supervisory commission oversees local commissions, which have a similar setup.

Yang’s taking office marks a vital step for the country’s sweeping reform of supervisory system. A pilot reform program began in Beijing, Shanxi and Zhejiang in December 2016 and expanded nationwide in November 2017.

Sharing offices and staff with Party disciplinary inspectors, the newly founded supervisory commissions incorporate existing supervisory, corruption prevention and control agencies within governments and procuratorates.

Yang had headed the Ministry of Supervision and the National Bureau of Corruption Prevention until an institutional restructuring plan of the State Council, adopted Saturday, decided to merge the two agencies into the national supervisory commission.

Xu Qiliang and Zhang Youxia were endorsed as vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission (CMC) of the People’s Republic of China at the same plenary meeting yesterday.

Nearly 3,000 NPC deputies voted to approve the nomination by Xi Jinping, chairman of the CMC of the People’s Republic of China.

Wei Fenghe, Li Zuocheng, Miao Hua and Zhang Shengmin were endorsed as the CMC members after Xi’s nomination was approved by the national lawmakers.

Xu, born in March 1950, is currently a member of the Political Bureau of the 19th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission. He holds the rank of general in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force.

Zhang, born in July 1950, is currently a member of the Political Bureau of the 19th CPC Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission. He holds the rank of general.

Also, at the sixth plenary meeting, Zhou Qiang was elected president of the Supreme People’s Court (SPC).

Zhou, born in April 1960, is currently a member of the 19th Communist Party of China Central Committee. He was first elected president of the SPC in 2013.

Zhang Jun was elected procurator-general of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate Sunday at the first session of the 13th National People’s Congress, China’s national legislature.

Zhang, born in October 1956, is a member of the 19th Communist Party of China Central Committee. He was appointed Minister of Justice in February 2017.

All the above newly elected or endorsed leaders took an oath of allegiance to the country’s Constitution upon assuming office. (Xinhua)