China's corruption watchdog probing emergency management minister

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.