On Sunday, March 12, China's People's Congress appointed the remaining members of the country's new government - now made up of close allies of President Xi Jinping - at the body's annual week-long meeting in Beijing, a mass gathering of the Communist Party, Radio Free Europe (RSE) reports.
About 3.000 selected delegates also approved Xi's selection as executive first vice premier, to which his longtime associate and former chief of staff Ding Suesiang was named, German news agency DPA reported.
Other cabinet positions were also confirmed, after Xi's close ally Li Qiang was appointed as the new prime minister on Saturday.
Economist He Lifeng was named vice premier for financial and economic policy, replacing Liu He who presided over trade negotiations with the United States of America (US).
General Li Shangfu, who is under US sanctions, has been named China's new defense minister, having previously headed the Central Military Commission's weapons development program.
The US government of former President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Lee and his weapons development department in 2018.
Like his predecessor Wei Feng, Li will be the sole representative of the military in the new cabinet.
In a surprise move, potentially aimed at boosting confidence in the Chinese economy, Xi retained key cabinet members for finance and trade. Finance Minister Liu Kun and Commerce Minister Wang Ventao kept their posts.
In the meantime, Ji Gang, whose removal was expected, will remain at the head of the central bank.
State and party leader Xi (69) was granted an unprecedented third term by the People's Congress on Friday, after he had already abolished previous age and term limits at the party congress in October, consolidating his power in the world's second largest economy.
During this year's National Congress meeting, delegates also approved Xi's plans for the largest government reorganization in history.
The plans are aimed at China's "technological leadership" and include cutting about five percent of government jobs.
The annual meeting of the National People's Congress is scheduled to end on Monday with a press conference by new Premier Li Qiang.
Also on the agenda will be approval of the outgoing government's performance report, as well as the new budget, including a sharp 7,2 percent increase in defense spending.
After the end of China's strict strategy of zero fight against COVID 19 in December, the government believes that the second largest economy will recover this year and expects a growth of around five percent, writes the German news agency DPA.
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