China: Premier Li Keqiang reappointed
March 18, 2018
China's rubber-stamp parliament on Sunday appointed Premier Li Keqiang to a second five-year term. It also appointed the director of a new anti-corruption agency.
The National People's Congress voted 2,964 to 2 in favor of reappointing Li to the post, the second highest in the ruling Communist Party.
Li's power has nevertheless faded in recent years since President Xi Jinping, who was unanimously reappointed on Saturday, transferred many responsibilities for economic policy to the president's office.
Read more: China scraps presidential term limit, enabling Xi Jinping to rule indefinitely
Corruption fighter
The Congress also voted in favor of Yang Xiaodu to become the first director of the National Supervisory Commission. The body was recently created from a fusion of the Communist Party's internal anti-corruption office and another body that oversaw the Chinese civil service.
Since taking office in 2013, Xi has overseen an extensive anti-graft crackdown that has claimed more than a million party members.
The National Supervisory Commission is set to extend the campaign to non-party members working in the civil service and to state-owned companies, including state-backed schools, hospitals and institutes.
Wang Qishan, who previously led the party's internal anti-corruption office, was appointed Xi's deputy on Saturday.
Read more: US President Donald Trump praises China's Xi Jinping for consolidating grip on power
amp/jm (AP, dpa, Reuters, AFP)