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New president is appointed at CCTV

(China Daily/Agencies)
Updated: 2009-05-18 08:22

Zhao Huayong	Jiao Li

The central government has appointed Party publicity official Jiao Li the new president of China Central Television (CCTV), it was reported Sunday.

Jiao, the vice-minister for the publicity department of the Communist Party's Central Committee, replaces Zhao Huayong, 61, who stepped down as head of the State broadcaster because he had reached the official retirement age of 60, said Xinhua News Agency.

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Jiao, 54, was the publicity head of northeast China's Liaoning province before he was promoted last year.

The switch comes three months after the nearly completed Mandarin Oriental Hotel, which stands next to CCTV's iconic headquarters in Beijing's Chaoyang district, went up in flames during an illegal fireworks display arranged and paid for by CCTV to mark the end of the Lunar New Year festivities.

The inferno on Feb 9 killed one firefighter and completely gutted the 5-billion-yuan ($730 million) hotel.

The State Council ordered a thorough investigation and, in March, 12 people were formally arrested in connection with the fire, including the former head of CCTV's construction bureau, Xu Wei, Xinhua reported.

News reports have alleged he ordered the powerful pyrotechnics be used and ignored safety warnings.