BEIJING - More non-Communists are taking posts as leaders in China's government, legislature, political consultative and judicial organs at various levels, according to a senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Monday.

Altogether, 32,000 non-CPC members and non-politically affiliated citizens are holding positions at or above the county level, said Du Qinglin, head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee.

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According to Du, 19 non-Communist officials have assumed leading posts in various ministries, commissions and bureaus directly under the State Council, China's cabinet, as well as the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Supreme People's Court.

Another 207 people assumed leading posts in provincial governments, legislatures and political advisory organs. Among 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in the mainland, 30 have non-CPC people as deputy government chiefs.

"Non-CPC and non-politically affiliated people are working in more sectors and taking more important posts as the system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC is getting improved," Du said.

China now has two non-Communist ministers, Health Minister Chen Zhu and Science and Technology Minister Wan Gang.

In line with a series of directives issued in recent years to promote non-Communist people, the CPC Central Committee ordered the opening of top positions at least at the county-level to non-CPC members and non-politically affiliated people.

According to the order made in 2005, the State Council must pay particular attention to appointing non-Communist candidates to ministerial positions or its equivalent.

China's eight non-Communist parties have a combined membership of 807,000. The parties were each established before New China was founded in 1949.