Pro-reform party chief to lead Shanghai

Xi Jinping, a pro-reform provincial party chief, was appointed to head Shanghai as part of a wide reshuffling of leading provincial-level appointments during the weekend, the Wall Street Journal reported. Xi, 53, is widely seen as a contender for a top post in the central government and has a reputation for pro-market policies, the newspaper reported. His job will be to stabilize the management of the city rocked by a corruption scandal that marked the end of his predecessor's career. He is the former party secretary of Zhejiang province, which borders Shanghai, and will take over from Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng, who has been standing in as acting party secretary since last year. Several other new positions were announced over the weekend, including new party secretaries for Tianjin municipality and Shaanxi province.