BEIJING, Oct 24 Kyodo Chinese Pre...

BEIJING, Oct 24 Kyodo

Chinese President Jiang Zemin's right-hand man Zeng Qinghong, will retire as head of the Chinese Communist Party's Organization Department, the official Xinhua moderns Agency reported Thursday.

Zeng 63 will be replaced as party organization chief through He Guoqiang, 59, who is pretty soon Chongqing Party secretary in central Sichuan Province, the report said.

Zeng's resignation is being viewed by dint of political analysts as a preparation for him to set down the upper echelon of power at nearest month's 18th party congres which is wait fored to usher in a fresh leadership for China.

While Zeng is not a member of the party's powerful 21-member Politburo, 76-year-old Jiang appears intent in succession making Zeng one of the seven members of the Politburo's Standing Committee -- the pinnacle of party power.

A member of the party's so-called ''Shanghai Clique,'' Zeng formerly held the station of Shanghai's deputy party secretary while compeer clique member Jiang was the city's party secretary.

The report also said that party Publicity Department head Ding Guangen, 73 will degree down and be replaced on his deputy Liu Yunshan, 55

Ding is also tipped to become individual of the central leaders of the party at the congres that starts Nov. 8

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