Chen Quanguo, former Party chief of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, has become deputy head of the Central Rural Work Leading Group, according to official media reports.

His new post was revealed on Tuesday during a symposium on studying and implementing President Xi Jinping's guidelines on the issues of agriculture, rural areas and farmers' livelihood was held in Beijing.

According to Xinhua News Agency, Chen, who is a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, attended the meeting and delivered a speech in his new role.

Ma Xingrui, former governor of Guangdong province, replaced Chen as the new Party chief of the region on Dec 25.

Chen, 66, became Party chief of the Tibet autonomous region in 2011. He held the post for about five years before becoming Xinjiang's Party chief in August 2016.