Party expels senior political adviser

Lai Derong, senior political adviser of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, was expelled from the Communist Party of China after flouting austerity rules and was removed from his post as vice-chairman of the Guangxi Regional Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said on Friday, adding that Lai’s misdeeds included accepting gifts and money, and participating in gambling overseas. A total of 26,900 officials were punished for violating austerity rules in the first half of 2016, the committee said.