584 Chinese officials relocated or demoted

A total of 584 officials at the county-government level or above have been demoted or moved to different positions since the Communist Party of China (CPC) introduced a regulation on official ranking management in July 2015.

The CPC Central Committee's Organizational Department on Thursday issued a notice that detailed these reshuffles and demotions.

In Zhejiang Province in east China, 17 officials were found to be incompetent, lacking the initiative to fulfill their tasks or had violated the CPC code of conduct, and were subsequently relieved of their current posts.

In Henan Province in central China, 29 officials were reassigned after they were found to be unsuitable for their original posts or were held accountable for problems under their authority.

In Shanghai, 23 officials were reassigned because of nepotism.

The department said the regulation aims to address the endemic problem of officials keeping their jobs despite being incompetence or lazy because they had no legal or conduct offenses.

The CPC wants to ensure capable officials are assigned to the proper posts, as unhealthy work styles such as idleness, negligence and malpractice are hurting the Party's image. Endi