Xiao Yaqing, the minister of industry and information technology, has been placed under investigation for suspected violations of discipline and laws, an official statement said on Thursday.

Xiao, 62, who is also a member of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is being investigated by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission.

Born in Xinle, Hebei province, Xiao graduated from Central South University in Changsha, Hunan province, majoring in materials process engineering, and holds the title of professor-level senior engineer.

Xiao joined the Party in 1981. He entered the workforce in 1982 at the Northeast Light Alloy Fabrication Plant in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, and was transferred to the Southwestern Aluminium Fabrication Plant in Chongqing in 1999.

In 2003, he was appointed deputy general manager of Aluminum Corporation of China, rising to general manager the next year.

In 2009, Xiao became deputy secretary-general of the State Council. In 2016, he was appointed director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and in 2019, he moved to head the State Administration for Market Regulation.

He was appointed as the secretary of the Leading Party Members Group of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in July 2020 and became the minister about a month later.

Ex-official pleads guilty

In another development, Fu Zhenghua, the former minister of justice, pleaded guilty to taking bribes and abuse of power, during a court hearing held in Changchun, capital of Jilin province, on Thursday.

The Intermediate People's Court of Changchun heard his case on Thursday. The part of the trial dealing with abuse of power was heard in closed session, as it involved State secrets.

Fu, who was formerly deputy head of the Committee on Social and Legal Affairs of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the country's top political advisory body, gave his final statement in the court.

Prosecutors said that from 2005 to 2021, Fu capitalized on his various posts, including as head of the Beijing Public Security Bureau, vice-minister of public security, minister of justice and deputy head of the Committee on Social and Legal Affairs of the CPPCC National Committee, to provide assistance to units and individuals in matters such as business operation, adjustment of positions and the handling of cases.

In return, he accepted money and property, directly or through his relatives, amounting to around 117 million yuan ($17.4 million).

Fu, 67, a native of Hebei province, worked in various positions in China's public security and judicial systems for many years.

In October 2021, he was placed under investigation for suspected severe violations of discipline and the law.