The State Council has tapped Li Yizhong to take the helm as
minister of the General Administration of Work Safety (GAWS), a
ministry-level body newly formed as part of the government's effort
to curb rampant industrial accidents.
Li moves to the slot from his position as a deputy director of
the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission
(SASAC).
Wang Xianzheng, Wang Dexue, Sun Huashan and Liang Jiakun were
named GAWS vice ministers.
Zhao Tiechui, who headed the former State Administration of Work
Safety (SAWS), was named director of the State Administration of
Coal Mine Safety. Prior to the reorganization, the two
organizations were parallel operations under Zhao's leadership.
Fu Jiahua and Wang Shuhe were named Zhao's deputies.
A few days after the February 14 gas explosion at the Sunjiawan
Coal Mine, which claimed 214 lives, Premier Wen
Jiabao chaired a meeting on coal mine safety. The decision was
made then to upgrade SAWS to a ministerial-level body with the
State Administration of Coal Mine Safety as its subordinate.
(Xinhua News Agency March 1, 2005)