The abrupt shift of negotiations to provincial leaders?

Does "The abrupt shift of negotiations to provincial leaders" mean "provincial leaders who join the negotiations showed a sudden change in their attitude"?

Context:


The abrupt shift of negotiations to provincial leaders, after days of fruitless talks with officials of local governments, suggested that Mr. Wang was taking charge and hoping to broker a peaceful settlement of a crisis whose outcome could weigh heavily on his political future.


More:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/22/world/asia/wukan-china-protesters-agree-to-halt-demonstrations.html?_r=1&ref=world