BEIJING — China’s Communist Party put Li Zhanshu in charge of supervising agencies that directly answer to the central leadership ahead of the country’s power handover this month.

Li replaces Ling Jihua as secretary of the body overseeing departments under the party’s Central Committee, according to a statement posted on the website of the committee on Thursday.

Xi Jinping, China’s vice president who is expected to succeed Hu Jintao as Communist Party general secretary at the party Congress that begins next Thursday, has tasked Li’s work committee with five priorities, including stepping up efforts to fight corruption, according to the statement.

The committee met Oct. 23 to announce the appointment, which came two months after Li took over from Ling as the head of the party’s general office, the party said in the statement.

Local media, including Caixin magazine, reported the personnel change Saturday. It has been party tradition since 1985 that the head of the general office, which oversees security for top leaders, also leads the work committee, Caixin reported.