Central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan appears a step nearer retirement after he was left out of a key policymaking group of the ruling Communist Party.
Zhou's name was a notable absence from the list of 205 members of the party's Central Committee, membership of which is a condition of holding a cabinet-ranked job such as central bank chief.
Meanwhile, Commerce Minister Chen Deming, previously an alternate member of the Central Committee, was not on the new list of alternate members, also implying he will be retiring.
Two other notable departures from the central committee were those of Finance Minister Xie Xuren and Zhang Ping , chairman of the powerful National Development and Reform Commission - the top economic planning agency.
Zhou turns 65 in January - the mandatory retirement age for a cabinet minister, although there are cases where people have stayed in post beyond it. He has been central bank chief since December 2002.
A spokesman at the PBOC declined to comment when asked about the decision.