Academics increasingly joining govt

Ability to convert knowledge into good policies seen as valuable asset

Officials with an academic background are set to become a mainstay of political life in China, experts said after the central leadership appointed a senior economist as the head of Henan province over the weekend.

Xie Fuzhan, who has won Sun Yefang Economics Prize - the top national prize for economics - twice, was named as Party chief of Henan on Saturday, Xinhua News Agency reported.