Chinas officialdom set to undergo major changes next week

China's ruling CPC, headed by President Xi Jinping, would nominate new names for several high level posts, state media reported today.
The third plenary session of Communist Party of China Central Committee will be held from February 26 to 28 in Beijing, the party announced here today at the meeting of politburo, a top policy body.
The meeting headed by Xi discussed a list of proposed candidates for state leadership positions, state-run Xinhua news agency reported without disclosing any details.
The names would be referred for the approval of Chinas parliament National People's Congress (NPC), which would begin its annual session on March 5.

The NPC often referred to as rubber stand parliament for its routine approval of the CPC proposals will hold its session along with the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), a consultative body.
The changes were expected to be made at senior levels of leadership and ministers.

By March, China may have a new foreign minister as the incumbent Wang Yi was expected to be elevated as top diplomat, replacing State Councillor Yang Jiechi, who is also the Special Representative of India-China border talks.
Yang has been elevated to politburo during the last Octobers once-in-a-five-year Congress of the CPC which also endorsed a second five-year term for Xi, who has emerged as the most powerful Chinese leader after party founder Mao Zedong in recent years.

The seven member Standing Committee headed by Xi which rules the country was also expected to undergo changes in view of retirements and replaced with Xis loyalists.
Since he took over power in 2013, Xi had consolidated his hold on the party, the government and the military.
While thousands of officials were punished in his anti-graft campaign, observers say he also effectively used it to consolidate his hold on the levers of power.