BEIJING — China has appointed a top terrorism expert to a leading public security post following a series of alleged plots against this summer's Beijing Olympics, an official notice said Monday.

Yang Huanning, 51, has worked for years in central government bodies dedicated to battling opponents in the restive western regions of Xinjiang and Tibet, according to his resume posted on official Web sites.

Other past roles included managing China's international image, often clouded by charges of human rights abuses, and working with the United Nations Office of Peacekeeping on deployments of Chinese forces.