Luo Zhijun	Li Hongzhong

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) announced on December 5 the appointment of two new provincial Party chiefs—Luo Zhijun for Jiangsu and Li Hongzhong for Hubei. Their predecessors—Liang Baohua and Luo Qingquan—have reached the mandatory retirement age for provincial officials of 65.

Luo, 59, was elected governor of Jiangsu in January 2008, after having served as vice mayor, mayor and Party chief of Jiangsu's capital city Nanjing since 1995.

Li, 54, became governor of Hubei in January 2008. Before that, he held several leading posts in south China's Guangdong Province and Hubei, including their vice governorships.

Wang Guosheng, 54, was nominated as Hubei's candidate for governor, and 60-year-old Li Xueyong was named as Jiangsu's candidate.