Li Xiaopeng was appointed vice governor of north China's coal-rich Shanxi Province on Thursday.

The appointment came at the third meeting of the standing committee of the 11th Shanxi Provincial People's Congress.

Li, ethnic Han and a native of Chengdu, Sichuan Province, was born in June 1959. He began to work in 1982 and joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1985.

He was general manager of China Huaneng Group, the country's largest power generator, before the appointment of Shanxi vice governor.

He is a member of the standing committee of the CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee.

(Xinhua News Agency June 12, 2008)