Hu presides over massive reshuffle to cement power
Senior officials to make way for supporters and technocrats
President Hu Jintao is presiding over one of the largest reshuffles of local and central government officials in recent years, to cement his power and loyalty base.
The reshuffle, which began in December, is expected to continue throughout the year, with speculation building about leadership changes at key central government ministries and municipalities ahead of the National People's Congress session from March 5.
Sources say more than 300 senior officials at municipal, provincial and central government ministry levels will be reshuffled, bringing in a new generation of technocrats in their 40s and 50s.
The changes are taking place at the same time as an 18-month Communist Party campaign launched this month to instil integrity and boost loyalty among its 68 million members, as well as enhance the party's legitimacy.
These moves carry long- and short-term implications which could trigger a profound realignment of political forces on the mainland during the next few years.
The personnel changes are necessary partly because officials who climbed the ladder during the 15-year tenure of former president Jiang Zemin have reached the mandatory retirement age - 60 for officials holding the ranking of deputy minister or deputy provincial governor downwards, and 65 for officials with the full ranking of governor or minister.
Sources say senior officials at the provincial or ministerial levels born between 1939 and 1941 will step down without any exceptions. This will give Mr Hu a golden opportunity to appoint supporters and other younger technocrats to top roles at central government ministries and local authorities.
The reshuffles and the ideological campaign will also set the stage for the 17th Party Congress to be held in 2007, when Mr Hu will have absolute power to set the direction for the party and the country.
Last month, the leaderships in the provinces of Anhui , Tibet , Liaoning , Henan and Fujian , were reshuffled, along with officials at the State Administration for Radio, Film and Television, and the State Sports General Administration. Since then, hardly a day has passed without announcements of reshuffles of city mayors or deputy provincial governors across the country.
Analysts note that many newly appointed officials have one credential in common - leading positions in the provincial committees or central committee of the Communist Party Youth League, Mr Hu's power base.
They include Li Keqiang , the new party secretary of Liaoning and Mr Hu's protege; Liu Peng , the new sports minister and formerly a senior member of the Youth League central committee; and Song Xiuyan , the new governor of Qinghai , a former secretary of the Youth League's Qinghai committee.
Sources say the leaderships of Guangxi , Heilongjiang , Shaanxi and Jilin , and central government ministries including the China Securities Regulatory Commission are bracing for changes over the next few months.
Speculation is also mounting over leadership changes at the three key municipalities of Shanghai, Beijing and Tianjin because these three are headed by members of the party's elite politburo.
