THE national legislature yesterday decided on the new lineup of the State Council, or the Cabinet, at its ongoing annual session.

Upon nomination by Premier Li Qiang, vice premiers, State councilors, ministers, governor of the central bank, auditor-general, and secretary-general of the State Council were endorsed by lawmakers at the fifth plenary meeting of the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC).

President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order to appoint these officials.

Lawmakers also approved by voting chairpersons, vice chairpersons and members of eight special committees of the 14th NPC at the meeting.

The vice premiers, State councilors and secretary-general of the State Council pledged allegiance to the Constitution.

Ding Xuexiang, He Lifeng, Zhang Guoqing and Liu Guozhong were endorsed as vice premiers.

Li Shangfu, Wang Xiaohong, Wu Zhenglong, Shen Yiqin and Qin Gang were endorsed as State councilors.

Premier Li nominated Zheng Shanjie as head of the National Development and Reform Commission at the meeting.

Zheng, 61, previously the Party secretary of East China’s Anhui Province, was nominated to take over as head of China’s top economic regulator, while several other senior economic officials, including central bank governor, were retained.

Yi Gang, 65, appointed as the governor of the People’s Bank of China in 2018, was nominated to retain his post.

Wang Wentao, 58, was nominated to stay on as minister of commerce, with Liu Kun, 66, remaining as minister of finance.

On Saturday, the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top political advisory body, concluded its first session, calling for efforts to pool wisdom and strength to help accomplish the goals and tasks set at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

In an address to the meeting, Wang Huning, chairman of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, said the session, which started March 4, spoke volumes about the characteristics and advantages of China’s whole-process people’s democracy.

(Xinhua)

(Expats on Two Sessions on P3)