The vice-chairperson of China’s top political advisory body is being investigated for corruption, making him the most senior official to be probed since the new dispensation under President Xi Jinping was officially named to take over in November, 2012.
Su Rong, 66, vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference National Committee (CPPCC) – the country’s top advisory body to the Parliament — is being probed for “suspected grave violation of discipline and the law”, according to a statement put up on the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
The statement gave no other details about the charges against Su but the phrase violation of discipline usually means corruption. Su was also the CPC chief of provinces Jiangxi and Gansu earlier, which meant that he was very well connected to the top leadership of the Party.
The decision to investigate probably came unexpectedly for a senior official; as late as Tuesday, Su had attended a trade fair in Qinghai province where he was on an inspection tour of an earthquake-hit zone.