China has announced a new ministerial line-up following the appointment on Tuesday of Zhu Rongji as the country's new Prime Minister.

Deputy Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan has been promoted to the post of Foreign Minister in place of Qian Qichen, who last week announced his retirement after 10 years on the international stage.

Mr Tang, 60, is a career diplomat and Africa specialist.

The departure of Mr Qian left perhaps the most difficult gap to fill, says the BBC Beijing correspondent.

Mr Qian remains one of four deputy Prime Ministers, and is expected to continue offering advice on international affairs, he says.

Another figure with a high international profile, the outgoing foreign trade minister, Wu Yi, has been promoted to become one of four state councillors, a post with a status between minister and deputy prime minister.

A few key portfolios such as defence minister and central bank governor remain unchanged.

Zhu has changed China's economic profile

Our correspondent says as the new prime minister, Zhu Rongji, pushes for economic and financial reforms, he's taken the unusual step of installing a successful state enterprise boss, China Petroleum President Sheng Huaren, as head of the state Economic and Trade Commission.

Analysts said Mr Sheng's leading role in the oil industry equips him to prepare the struggling metals, machinery and power sectors, now under his direction, for competition.

There's also a post as deputy Prime Minister for the relatively liberal Wen Jiabao, but allies of outgoing prime minister Li Peng remain in positions of influence, and observers say the line-up inevitably represents a compromise between different interests.

No nonsense premier

Mr Zhu was elected the new premier at a meeting of parliament on Tuesday.

BBC correspondent Duncan Hewitt talks about the result from Beijing (2'12")

Delegates said the National People's Congress broke into rapturous applause after President Jiang Zemin's nomination of Zhu was announced.

In total, 2,890 delegates to the NPC voted in favour of Mr Zhu, while 29 voted against and 31 abstained.

He was the only candidate for the job left vacant by the retiring Li Peng, making his election a certainty.

Mr Zhu, seated with other top leaders on the rostrum at the Great Hall of the People, stood up and bowed briefly after the announcement came over the public address system. Delegates broke into another round of applause.

Nicknamed "The Boss" for his no-nonsense style, the man who tamed galloping inflation in the mid-1990s takes over as premier with a mandate to overhaul crumbling state industry and rescue a banking system that is technically bankrupt.

The outgoing Premier, Li Peng, was approved on Monday to take over the post of NPC chairman, while President Jiang Zemin was re-elected to another five-year term.
 

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