Head of China’s market regulator takes over as acting mayor of Tianjin
- Zhang Gong takes over in the northern port city following the sudden death of his predecessor in late April
- The appointment forms part of the latest overhaul of provincial officials in the run-up to a major leadership reshuffle later this year
Zhang, 60, who has headed the State Administration for Market Regulation since July 2020, was named as deputy Communist Party chief of the northern port city on Saturday before the city’s legislature confirmed him in the role of acting mayor on Tuesday.
The appointment followed the sudden death of the previous mayor Liao Guoxun who died late in April aged 59. A government statement said he had died after a sudden illness but did not provide further details.
Tianjin is one of four cities in the country to have municipality status, making them more important politically than the others.
The city’s party chief, Li Hongzhong, sits on the 25-member Politburo, the party’s decision-making body.
In his previous role, Zhang oversaw a long list of market, antitrust, food security and product quality regulations.