Top Chinese diplomat caught in corruption probe

Baku. 2 January. REPORT.AZ/ A senior Chinese diplomat is being investigated for corruption, the foreign ministry said Friday.

The allegations are the first to affect a high-ranking foreign ministry official under President Xi Jinping’s Fox Hunt anti-corruption campaign launched in 2013.

Reporting a statement from the ministry, state news agency Xinhua said Zhang Kunsheng had been dismissed from his post as assistant foreign minister. Using a typical euphemism for corruption, the statement said Zhang was "suspected of violating discipline and is being investigated."

Report informs Anadolu Agency, No additional details were released.

According to Chinese media, Zhang, 56, was the most senior of the country’s four assistant foreign ministers, who rank below the vice foreign ministers.

The foreign ministry’s website describes him as having responsibility for Latin America and the Caribbean and protocol. He was born in Shanxi province and is married with a daughter, according to the site.

He served in the embassy in Washington D.C. between 1998 and 2001 and was made an assistant minister in 2011.

Xi has cracked down on corruption since coming to power two years ago. The drive has seen dozens of senior officials, including those of ministerial rank, penalized for corruption but this is the first known case of a senior member of the foreign service coming under scrutiny.