The Communist Party of China will appoint Wang Yi, a former ambassador to Japan who heads the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, China's Cabinet, as foreign minister, an apparent sign of willingness by the leadership to improve relations with Japan, according to sources.
The party's decision makes it certain the National People's Congress, China's parliament, will elect Wang in a Cabinet reshuffle during an annual session set to begin Tuesday.
During the session, which will run for about two weeks, the NPC is to elect Xi Jinping, general secretary of the party's Central Committee, as president, and Vice Premier Li Keqiang as premier, replacing Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao and ushering in the Xi-Li era as the country faces mounting challenges, including toxic air pollution, bureaucratic corruption and a widening gap between rich and poor.