The newly elected 371-member Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) is seeing more women and ethnic minority alternate members than their member counterparts.

Of the 204 members of the Central Committee elected during the closing session of the Party's 17th National Congress today, 13 are women and 16 are from ethnic minorities. Women and ethnic minority natives make up 24 respectively of the 167 alternate members, or almost double their member counterparts.

According to common practice in Chinese politics, most of the Central Committee members are the number one and number two persons from various Party and government ministries, local governments at the provincial level; commanders and political commissars of major military regions and armed forces; and the top representatives of various people's organizations including the Communist Youth League of China, All China Women's Federation and All China Federation of Trade Unions.

The number three persons of various provincial governments, vice heads of ministries, top representatives of the government bodies at the ministerial level and presidents of central SOEs (state-owned enterprises) usually comprise the alternate member list of the Central Committee.

The new Central Commission for Discipline Inspection was also elected at the closing session. Of its 127 members, most are heads of discipline inspection commissions at the provincial level and heads of discipline inspection offices within various ministries.

(China.org.cn October 21, 2007)