A long time close aide of President Xi Jinping,  Wang Xiaohong has been named the new minister of public security, overseeing the country’s police force

The appointment was announced as the Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) concluded its   35^th session in Beijing on Friday 24 June. 

Wang succeeds Zhao Kezhi. A native of the south-eastern Fujian province, where President Xi had a 17 -year long stint (1985 -2002), Wang was deputy director of the Public Security Bureau of Fuzhou (capital of Fujian) from 1993 to 1998 and the city’s top police official from 1998 to 2002.  

Zhou Zuyi was appointed as minister of human resources and social security, while Pan Yue was named head of the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, replacing Chen Xiaojiang.

Local reports also say that three more ministers were also announced.  They are Wang Guanghua as minister of natural resources, Ni Hong as minister of housing and urban-rural development, and Pei Jinjia as minister of veterans affairs.