Xu Lin, 55, was appointed minister of the State Council Information Office, replacing Jiang Jianguo, according to a statement published on the website of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on Tuesday.

Xu was previously the head of the Cyberspace Administration of China. That post has been taken over by Zhuang Rongwen, who was previously head of the State Administration of Press and Publication.

A Shanghai native, Xu joined the Party in September 1982 and started his career at a middle school in the city a month later. Before being engaged in managing cyberspace affairs, he held various posts including chief of Shanghai's civil affairs bureau.

Xu was named vice-minister of the Communist Party of China's Publicity Department, head of the Cyberspace Administration of China and head of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission - known then as the Office of the Central Leading Group for Cyberspace Affairs - in June 2016.

Jiang, 62, rose from deputy director of the research office of the Organization Department of the CPC's Hunan Committee to become head of the provincial publicity department.

He was appointed deputy Party chief of the General Administration of Press and Publication in 2008 and Party chief of the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television in 2013.

In December 2014, Jiang was named minister of the State Council Information Office and deputy head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee.