BEIJING • China's Parliament has named the son of former premier Li Peng as Transport Minister, in an ongoing reshuffle of senior officials by President Xi Jinping ahead of a party congress next year.

The largely rubber-stamped legislature yesterday approved the appointment of Mr Li Xiaopeng, who replaces Mr Yang Chuantang as Transport Minister, the official Xinhua news agency said in a brief statement. It gave no other details.

Mr Li was the governor of Shanxi, a coal-rich northern province beset by corruption scandals, before being promoted to his new role. The Transport Ministry is responsible for road, air, rail and water transport in the world's most populous country, areas which have been the focus of heavy investment in recent years as China seeks to build world- class transport infrastructure.

The party congress, held every five years and expected to take place next autumn, will see Mr Xi further cement his hold on power by appointing close allies to the party's ruling inner core - the 25-member Politburo and seven-member Politburo Standing Committee. Mr Xi, who doubles as Communist Party and military chief, is ranked No. 1 in the Politburo Standing Committee, the apex of power in China.

The year leading up to that will focus on Mr Xi appointing more new people to major provincial party and government positions, sources with ties to the leadership say.

REUTERS