Arab Times

China probes Ai Baojun:

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The vice mayor of Shanghai in charge of its experiment­al free trade zone is being investigat­ed for suspected “serious breaches of discipline”, the antigraft watchdog of the ruling Communist Party said on Tuesday, using its usual euphemism for corruption.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection gave no further details of the investigat­ion into Vice Mayor Ai Baojun, the most senior official from China’s finance hub to be swept up in an anti-corruption campaign launched by President Xi Jinping after taking power some three years ago.

It was not possible to reach Ai for comment and unclear if he has a lawyer.

Ai, a native of the northeaste­rn province of Liaoning, became a vice mayor of Shanghai in December 2007, according to an official online biography.

Ai has headed the committee that runs the Shanghai Free Trade Zone since its launch in September 2013, as part of a government effort to test a more open and streamline­d environmen­t for foreign firms to do business, along with the relaxation of policies for several service sectors.

Before entering politics, he was a university professor and then worked his way up to the position of general manager of China’s second-largest steel producer, Baosteel Group. (RTRS)

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