Tibet’s New Chief Appointed by China’s Communist Party After Reshuffle

A new senior official to run Tibet was appointed by China's ruling Communist Party on Sunday, Aug. 28, as part of the an extensive reorganization ahead of next year's meeting, Reuters reported.

Wu Yingjie was named as Tibet's new party secretary by the Party, together with new leaders in two other key provinces, the Xinhua News Agency report said.

Based on his official resume, Wu has worked in Tibet in his entire career and previously served as a deputy governor and propaganda chief, among other roles.

The report said that Wu belongs to Han Chinese, the country's majority ethnic group, like his predecessor Chen Quanguo, who would be taking another position.

In 1950, communist troops marched in and took over Tibet which China called as a "peaceful liberation". Following an uprising against the China which failed, Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, fled to India in 1959.

Tibetan exiled leaders and rights groups accused China of widespread repression but Beijing claimed that it has brought stability and prosperity in the country.

According to the report, the newly-appointed party officials will also be assigned to serve the southwestern province of Yunnan and the populous province of Hunan.

Chen Hao will replace Li Jiheng to serve Yunnan, which is located along the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam, while Du Jiahao will sit as party leader in Hunan, the report said.

Their resumes showed that the two leaders have both worked for President Xi Jinping when he managed Shanghai, the country commercial capital, as the city's Communist Party chief for a year in 2007.

Xi is expected to further strengthen his power by appointing close allies next autumn, when the party is set to hold a once-every-five-year congress. He is expected to place allies into the party's ruling core, the Politburi and the Politburo standing committee. More new people will also be appointed into major provincial and government positions, sources said.