Peking starts Govt shuffle

Press, 28 August 1980, Page 6

Peking starts Govt shuffle

NZPA-Reuter Peking China yesterday announced sweeping changes in its Cabinet, with new men being appointed to -the Ministries of Finance, Agriculture, and Energy. A top Parliamentary official told correspondents that a session of the standing committee of China’s Parliament, the National People’s Congress, decided yesterday to relieve the Finance Minister (Mr Wu Bo) and Wang Renzhong, Minister in Charge of the State Agricultural Commission, of their posts. Vice-Premier Yu Qiuli, was also removed from his post as head of the State Planning Commission and appointed to head the newly-established State Energy Commission.

Vice-Premier Wan Li, a close confederate of the senior Vice-Premier Deng Xiaoping has been made Minister in Charge of the State Agricultural Commission while Wang Bingqian,.a former Vice-Minister of Fin-

ance, will take over as Finance Minister.

Zeng Tao, deputy general secretary of the People’s Congress standing committee, .told a news/conference'that the Finance-; Minister was retiring from his post at his own request because of old age, but would continue to act as an advisor to the Ministry. The leadership changes are just the first of/many expected; to be. announced at the forthconjing session of the congress, which will begin, on Saturday. ’ China is' taking another step towards-more open reporting by. admitting foreign journalists ' to . the meeting for the first time tfiU 16 years. ' The Prime Minister (Mr Hua Guofeng) and a .number of Vice-Premiers, including Deng Xiaoping, are expected to offer their resignations, although most of them will retain their powerful leadership positions in the Communist Party central . committee.