TAIYUAN - Northern province of Shanxi has appointed several city and provincial officials in an effort to close large vacancies left by the anti-corruption drive.

The appointments include several city officials and county heads in Lvliang city, as well as officials in the province's transport department, according to an announcement by the provincial government.

Observers say the move is a major step in rebuilding the province's corruption-plagued officialdom.

The coal-rich province has been a frontier for China's war against corruption since last year. The province punished 15,450 officials in 2014, including seven from the top provincial leadership.

Wang Rulin, secretary of the Shanxi Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said there were nearly 300 vacancies in the provincial administration, including three city party chiefs, 16 county party chiefs and 13 county heads.

The appointments were the first of their kind after the installment of the province's new party leadership last September.

Wang said they have highlighted enforcement of discipline in the selection and no influence peddling has been observed.