The Party Secretary of Shenyang, Zhang Guoguang, has been promoted to become chief economic adviser to Liaoning province's long-serving party chief, Wen Shizhen.

Mr Zhang has been replaced by Xu Wencai, who formerly served as party secretary of Tieling city in Liaoning and who has been a member of the provincial committee for five years.

Mr Zhang has served as Shenyang's deputy party secretary and then its chief since 1985, during which time the city changed from being China's premier heavy industry city to the nation's most crisis-ridden.