China probes top nuclear chief

Posted by Mc Parry on August 5th, 2009 No Comments Printer-Friendly

BEIJING — A top official in charge of China’s civilian and military nuclear programmes has been placed under investigation, state media said Wednesday, in what appeared to be another case of high-level graft.

Kang Rixin, party secretary and general manager of state-owned China National Nuclear Corporation, is being probed for possible involvement in “grave violations of discipline”, the Xinhua news agency said.The term “discipline violations” often means acts of corruption in the language of Chinese officialdom.

Kang, born in August 1953 in the northern province of Shanxi, was appointed to his current position in 2003, the Caijing magazine said Wednesday on its website. He was elected a member of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party, China’s top anti-corruption body, in 2002, Caijing added.

The China National Nuclear Corporation is responsible for both civilian and military nuclear activities, such as nuclear weapons production, power generation and waste disposal. It has a significant research and development capability and is also responsible for uranium mining in China.

Graft is a source of immense public anger in China, and the government frequently makes examples of ranking officials caught red-handed to signal that it is addressing the problem. Last month, Chen Tonghai, 60, the former head of state-owned oil giant Sinopec, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for graft amounting to nearly 30 million dollars. (AFP)