China’s corruption watchdog probing emergency management minister

(Reuters) - China's minister of emergency management, Wang Xiangxi, is being investigated for suspected "serious violations of discipline and law," a common euphemism for corruption, the anti-graft ‌watchdog said on Saturday as a purge of senior officials continues.

The ​Central Commission for Discipline Inspection did not ‍provide details in its statement on ⁠Wang, a ⁠Communist Party secretary. It is relatively rare for a sitting minister ‌to undergo investigation.

In President ​Xi Jinping's years-long corruption purge, the defence ministry announced last week it was ⁠investigating the nation's top ‍general, ​Zhang Youxia, who is second only to Xi in the military leadership.

Xi said this month ‍that anti-corruption is a battle China must not lose, following a record 65 probes into high-ranking officials last year, while scrutiny has expanded to former leaders of universities and state-owned ​enterprises.

Wang, ‍63, took office in July 2022, after serving as chairman of state-owned power generator ​National Energy Investment Corp.

He appeared on Tuesday, speaking at a regular internal meeting where cadres engage in self-criticism, according to an official release from the Ministry of Emergency Management.

The corruption watchdog announced an investigation into ​Sun Shaocheng, the former Party secretary of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, according to state-owned media China Daily.