A former senior diplomat has been expelled from the Party and transferred to judicial authorities for further investigation.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China announced on its website on Thursday that Zhang Kunsheng, former assistant minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had seriously violated Party rules and undermined the Party's image.

Investigations found that Zhang violated the eight-point austerity rules by visiting private clubs or expensive resorts, trading power for sex, and refusing to report personal matters such as true income and assets. Zhang also resisted the commission's investigation, the CCDI statement said.

The commission said Zhang had been transferred to judicial authorities on suspicion of taking advantage of his posts to seek gains for others and to take bribes.

Zhang, who was born in Shanxi province in 1958, began his diplomatic career at the Foreign Ministry in 1985.