China punishes 'disloyal' Sichuan governor

The governor of China's Sichuan province has been stripped of his official positions and demoted, state media on Thursday.

An inspection by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection found Wei Hong committed "serious violations of discipline" the official Xinhua news service said, using a euphemism for corruption, and was "disloyal and dishonest to the Party".

"He attempted to subvert the investigation and refused to confess, seriously violating the Party political and organisational code of conduct," Xinhua said, adding that he had "interfered with judicial activities". As a consequence, he was stripped of the governorship and his role as the vice-secretary of the Communist Party's office in Sichuan.

The announcement comes as part of a high-profile crackdown on corruption led by President Xi Jinping that has deposed several senior officials, notably former security chief Zhou Yongkang. One of Zhou's power bases was Sichuan, in China's southwest with a population of some 80 million. A number of senior officials there have been investigated in recent years.