MIIT Minister Removed from Position as Party Secretary

By Zhang Xiangdong

Published: 2010-12-09

Economic Observer Online
December 9, 2010
Translated by Chen Ximeng
Original Article: [Chinese]

Li Jianhua, the vice minister of the Central Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee, announced earlier today that Miao Wei had been appointed as the new Party Secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), in place of Li Yizhong.

Li Yizhong is currently the minister of industry and information technology and according to reports, despite being removed as party secretary, he will remain in his post as minister.

In addition to being appointed as party secretary, Miao Wei will also take on the role of vice minister at MIIT.

According to sources, Miao Wei's resume is very similar to that of Li Yizhong - both are engineers by training who spent time working as executives at large state-owned enterprises before entering a government department.

In most Chinese central ministries, the position of party secretary and minister is held by the same individual. China's Ministry of Health is one exception, as the currrent health minister, Chen Zhu, is not a Communist Party member and is therefore unable to serve as party secretary.