China vice-finance minister to be new stats chief: govt sources

[BEIJING] China will appoint Vice-Finance Minister Wang Baoan as the country's statistics chief, succeeding Ma Jiantang who has taken up a new job, government sources said on Wednesday.

Mr Wang's appointment could be announced "in the near term", said the sources who declined to be named because the information was not public. No further details were given.

Mr Ma, who headed the National Bureau of Statistical Bureau from 2008, has been appointed as the vice-head of the Chinese Academy of Governance, according to an announcement posted on the academy's website, www.nsa.gov.cn.

China's statistics chief usually sits on the central bank's monetary policy committee, which is headed by central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan.

Information on the central bank's website showed Mr Ma remains a member of the policy panel.

REUTERS