Senior official in southern China under corruption probe

BEIJING (AP) — A top official in the southern Chinese region of Guangxi is under investigation for corruption, the ruling Communist Party’s graft watchdog reported Friday.

Vice Governor Liu Hongwu is being investigated for “serious violations of discipline and laws,” the Central Committee for Discipline Inspection said, using its standard term for graft. No further details were given.

Liu’s official biography lists him as a senior economist and head of the development office on the Beibu Gulf, also known as the Gulf of Tonkin.

Guangxi borders Vietnam to the south and is famed for its lush landscape of karst formations and multiple minority groups, mainly the Zhuang.

With its lengthy land and sea border and distance from Beijing, the region has also developed a reputation for smuggling and other illegal activity.

A former Guangxi governor, Cheng Kejie, was the highest-ranking Chinese official executed for corruption when he was put to death in September 2000.

President and party leader Xi Jinping has waged a decade-long campaign against corruption that has ensnared serving and retired officials in the military, government, party and state industries, although the pace of investigations has appeared to slow in recent years.