The State Council announced on Tuesday that it has designated Sun Wensheng, Minister of Land and Resources, as State Superintendent General of Land.

Li Yuan, Vice Minister of Land and Resources, and Gan Zangchun, director general of the ministry's department of law and regulation, were appointed as Deputy State Superintendent Generals of Land.

The move was seen as a further step to tighten land management in the country.

The State Council also appointed Gao Yan and Chen Qiming as deputy directors of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR).

Gao has served as vice president of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade since August 2003.

Chen was director of department of social work under the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR.

He Xiaowei, former deputy director of the Liaison Office in Macao, was removed from the post.

(Xinhua News Agency September 20, 2006)