China has appointed Hu Changsheng as the Communist Party secretary of Tibet, making him the region's top political official, Reuters reported on September 22, citing state news agency Xinhua.
Hu replaces Wang Junzheng in the post.
Before his appointment to Tibet, Hu served as Communist Party chief of Gansu province in northwestern China.
In China's political system, the regional Communist Party secretary is the most senior political official in the area and generally outranks the head of the regional government.
The Reuters report did not specify a detailed policy programme linked to Hu's appointment.
The leadership change should therefore be treated as an official personnel appointment rather than evidence, by itself, of a shift in policy toward Tibet.