Why has Beijing appointed a propaganda veteran to lead a border province?

Beijing has appointed veteran propaganda official Mo Gaoyi as Communist Party secretary of Yunnan province in its latest leadership reshuffle, making him a rare example this year of a provincial head with minimal local governance experience.

An analyst said that the move could reflect Beijing’s efforts to broaden the talent selection criteria for some senior roles, allowing specialists to take on important generalist positions.

Mo – director of the State Council Information Office (SCIO) and a vice-minister of the Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department – succeeds Wang Ning, who stepped down after reaching the customary retirement age of 65, the southwestern province’s official media reported on Saturday.