BEIJING (REUTERS) - China on Saturday (July 15) named rising political star Chen Min'er as Communist Party boss in south-western Chongqing municipality, cementing his reputation as a favourite of President Xi Jinping ahead of a leadership reshuffle at a key party congress in the autumn. Chen, who moves to Chongqing from the poor southwestern province of Guizhou, takes over from Sun Zhengcai, the official news agency Xinhua said, without saying where Sun would go next or including wording to suggest he would get another position. If confirmed, it would be the first probe of a sitting Politburo member, a key leadership body in the Communist Party, since the downfall in 2012 of another one-time Chongqing chief Bo Xilai, who was later sentenced to life in prison for corruption and abuse of power. Mr Sun had been seen as another potential candidate for elevation, but sources with ties to the leadership and foreign diplomats say he has been out of favour after the party's anti-corruption watchdog this year criticised the Chongqing authorities for not doing enough to root out Bo's influence. Mr Chen was made Guizhou deputy party secretary in 2012, but was promoted to governor less than a year later and within roughly a month of Mr Xi becoming president, before moving up again to his current role as Guizhou party boss in 2015. Sun Zhengcai, once seen at the forefront of China’s next-generation leadership, was removed as Chongqing party chief and is under investigation.
Chen Min'er replaces Sun Zhengcai as Communist Party Secretary of Chongqing; Sun Zhigang becomes party chief of Guizhou.