A general manager of a Beijing-based State-owned company was removed from his posts and placed under disciplinary inspection on Wednesday due to an online video clip showing him walking with a young woman and holding hands while on a business trip.

Hu Jiyong has been removed from the position of executive director, Party secretary and general manager of the Huanqiu Project Management (Beijing) Co Ltd under China Petroleum Engineering Corporation, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday afternoon. The statement didn't elaborate on the relationship between Hu and the woman, although netizens said the women was Hu's "mistress".

The company will announce further punitive measures according to the results of the inspection, it said.

A video clip of a man holding hands with a woman while shopping in Chengdu, Sichuan province spread online earlier on Wednesday. Several netizens identified the man as Hu and showed he was on a business trip.

The 10th central inspection group, which is auditing China National Petroleum Corporation, said it had noted the report and urged the company to verify the information.