An increasing number of "outstanding" non-Communists will be recommended to become senior government officials and their command power will be ensured, a senior official said on Friday.

Zhuang Congsheng, spokesman of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, said in an interview with China Daily: "It is in line with the needs of multi-party cooperation under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to recommend non-Communists to shoulder senior leading positions, especially the principal ones."

"The trend is there," Zhuang said. "Many government departments are now paying attention to recommending elite non-CPC members."

Once appointed, they will have full command of their administrations including the right to make decisions within their jurisdictions, he said.

More non-Communists hold posts in the government, legislature and judicial organs, according to the first white paper on China's Political Party System issued on Thursday.

The two most prominent are incumbent Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang, a Germany-trained scientist and member of the China Zhi Gong Dang, and current Health Minister Chen Zhu, a Paris-trained scientist with no political party affiliation.

And last month, Huang Yan, an engineer without party affiliation, was appointed director of the Beijing municipal commission of urban planning, making her the only non-CPC member holding the principal position in a government unit of the capital.

(China Daily November 17, 2007)