Xi Jinping, the newly elected member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has given his position as the Party secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the CPC to Yu Zhengsheng, who headed the Hubei Provincial Committee of the CPC before the 17th CPC National Congress.

Before serving as Party chief of Hubei Province, Yu was Minister of Construction from 1998 to 2001. Born in April 1945, Yu is a native of Shaoxing in east China's Zhejiang Province. Yu, who graduated from the Department of Missile Engineering, Harbin Military Engineering Institute, majoring in automatic control of ballistic missiles, joined the CPC in 1964.

Fraudulent Legislators Expelled

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, expelled two deputies suspected of law and discipline breaches.

Wang Xiaojin, Board Chairman of the Gujing Group, one of China's largest distilleries based in east China's Anhui Province, has been under investigation for "suspected serious discipline violations" since April.

The NPC Standing Committee also voted to oust Wang Dingguo, former Board Chairman of the Qingjiang River Hydropower Development Co. Ltd. in central China's Hubei Province.

Wang was expelled for suspected involvement in "serious discipline breaches and violation of criminal laws," according to a report delivered to NPC Standing Committee members.

During the past four years, at least 28 NPC deputies have been expelled from the national parliament for graft and other law and discipline breaches.

National Campaign Against Substandard Foods

Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi urged more "solid" efforts to further carry out a nationwide campaign aimed at improving product quality and food safety at an on-the-site meeting held in the eastern Province of Shandong.

The four-month mission, launched in August and described by Wu as a "special battle" to ensure product quality and food safety, saw 667 tons of unqualified or fake food products destroyed and 446 tons removed from marketplaces by October 8.

The campaign mainly targets farm produce, processed food, the catering sector, drugs, pork, imported and exported goods and products closely linked to human safety and health.

More Ethnic Cadres

China is focusing on recruiting more cadres from minority groups to address the imbalance in the governmental ranks.

Young minority cadres at county level will receive higher-level education, and outstanding young minority talents will be selected and sent to Chinese or foreign universities for further study, according to the Personnel Department of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission.

The country plans to cultivate 3,400 postgraduates and 800 doctorate holders from minority groups in 2008, while 3,000 minority postgraduates and 700 doctorate students have been enrolled this year.

Filipino Ayis Forbidden

Labor and social security authorities in Shanghai reiterated the country's ban on individuals hiring foreigners as a rising number of local families were found to have employed Filipino housekeepers.

According to national regulations on hiring foreign employees, foreign passport holders cannot work on the mainland unless they have work and residence permits and they are not allowed to sign work contracts with individuals, the Shanghai Morning Post reported.

The report said some local households, mainly those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan or rich mainlanders, were found to have breached the rule by hiring Filipino ayis.

In Shanghai, a Filipino ayi charges a monthly salary of between 3,000 yuan and 4,000 yuan, which is much higher than their mainland counterparts, the report said.