New directors of Taiwan Affairs Office bring experience in cross-strait ties and knowledge of Fujian
Veteran of Taiwan relations and experienced administrator from Fujian named in reshuffle
The mainland has named a cross-strait affairs veteran and a senior official from Fujian province as deputy directors of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), in the latest round of personnel changes to deal with the island.
Li Yafei , 58, assistant director of the Taiwan Affairs Office, and Gong Qinggai , 55, director of the Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone, officially appeared on the office's website yesterday as deputy directors.
They replace Zheng Lizhong and Sun Yafu , the two outgoing deputy directors who have reached retirement age.
After the latest reshuffle, the office will have four deputy directors, including the two incumbents, Ye Kedong and Chen Yuanfeng . It is unclear if Ye, who has just turned 60, is also slated for retirement soon.
Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, the island's top mainland policy planning body, yesterday declined to comment on the changes, saying it was an internal matter for the TAO.
The new changes, announced by the TAO on its website yesterday, indicated that Beijing had planned to focus more on promoting the Pingtan project aimed at increasing interchanges between Taiwan and Fujian, on the other side of the Taiwan Strait, analysts said.