New policy experts to assist Zhejiang

Appointments expected to help local govt manage transition of economy

Two high-caliber experts on industrial policy have joined the ranks of the Zhejiang provincial government as deputy governors of the region, which is noted for its advanced information technology.

Feng Fei, 53, was appointed on Friday from his previous position as deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Gao Xingfu, 52, another deputy governor appointed on the same day, was selected from a company run by the provincial government, the first appointment of its kind in 21 years.

Gao spent his entire career on construction and investment projects. He had been head of the Zhejiang Communications Investment Group since the beginning of 2015.

Gao has been awarded a host of national honors including Outstanding Entrepreneur and Outstanding Entrepreneur of Startups.

Zhejiang province, with the fourth-largest GDP on the Chinese mainland in the first half of this year, is home to the countries’ leading IT companies as well as startups.

Internationally-known companies such as e-commerce conglomerate Alibaba Group Holding and automaker Geely Automobile Holdings are headquartered in the capital Hangzhou, where leaders of the world’s 20 major economies, the G20, will gather for their annual summit early next month.

It is a common practice in China that senior officials at central government organs are assigned to top officials in local governments.

In 2015, more than a dozen senior officials from central government organs had been appointed to major positions in provincial governments.

Wang Yukai, a professor of government administration at the Chinese Academy of

Feng Fei, deputy governor of Zhejiang Gao Xingfu, deputy governor of Zhejiang

Governance, said that officials at central government level are especially good at understanding major policies in the nation.

Their appointments will help the local government through the transition of the country’s economic and social development, he said.

Feng began his career at the Development and Research Center of the State Council when he was nearly 31.

He was appointed deputy head of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in October last year.