(ZHAO ZHONGZHI)

Han Jiangping, former Party chief of the Harbin Railways Bureau affiliated to the Ministry of Railways, has been appointed the new spokesman for the ministry.

Han's appointment was in the spotlight as it was made after a series of malfunctions in China's newly launched Beijing-Shanghai high-speed trains and the July 23 deadly train crash near Wenzhou in east China's Zhejiang Province, which triggered a torrent of public criticism.

The appointment is seen as an attempt by the ministry to restore its image.