China initiates probe against minister in charge of tech regulation

Beijing: Chinese authorities have opened a probe against a senior government minister responsible for handling the world's second-largest economy's semiconductor and digital technology sectors.

China's anti-graft investigators started a probe against Xiao Yaqing after he was suspected of "violating" discipline and law. "Xiao Yaqing, China's minister of industry and information technology, has been put under investigation for suspected violations of party discipline and laws," Xinhua news agency reported citing an official statement released last Thursday.
According to the statement, Xiao is being probed by the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission.
Xiao Yaqing has also been the deputy secretary general of the State Council for a long time and worked alongside Li Keqiang.
He was taken away by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection from his residence in Beijing on July 26. Before being taken away, Xiao tried to cut his wrists to commit suicide but failed, nonmainstream HK media reported. However, there was no confirmation from any official source on this.

A Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report said Xiao is the first incumbent minister to face a probe since Chinese leader Xi Jinping started his second term as party chief in 2017.
The WSJ reports said that Xiao's probe is in line with the campaign on corruption that Xi has directed since taking power in late 2012. Using the campaign, the Chinese President has consolidated his power in the name of curbing rampant graft within the party.
The Community party has already dismissed scores of high-ranking officials, though takedowns of personnel holding ministerial-level rank or higher have become less frequent in recent years, the report said. (ANI)