<div class="header-sections-wrapper"><h2 class="header-sections" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">(World Today Friday 14 April 2017)</span></h2></div><div class="block block-views even" id="block-views-article-title-block"><div class="view view-article-title view-id-article_title view-display-id-block view-dom-id-776ea1a7f1fa19227428d287cd220ecf"><div class="view-content"><div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first views-row-last"><div><span><h1 class="title" id="page-title" style="text-align: center;">China's Hebei vows to learn lessons from new graft probe</h1></span> </div></div></div></div></div><div class="block block-views odd" id="block-views-abbbed293fc232acd042f79d5c8059a0"><div class="view view-article-main-highlight-view view-id-article_main_highlight_view view-display-id-block view-dom-id-57b7a374471338e0ecde889eadb69667"><div class="view-content"><div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first views-row-last"><article class="node-2867566 article node node-article node-promoted view-mode-highlight_article clearfix" about="/world/chinas-hebei-vows-learn-lessons-new-graft-probe" typeof="sioc:Item foaf:Document"><header></header><div id="photo-highlight"><div class="description"></div></div></article><!-- /.node --> </div></div></div></div><div class="block block-views last even" id="block-views-photo-gallery-view-block"><div class="view view-photo-gallery-view view-id-photo_gallery_view view-display-id-block view-dom-id-8245afa7dda74c87a64f9f826226f4a2"><div class="view-content"><div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first views-row-last"></div></div></div></div><div id="content-main"><div class="inner"><article class="node-2867566 node node-article node-promoted view-mode-full inline clearfix" about="/world/chinas-hebei-vows-learn-lessons-new-graft-probe" typeof="sioc:Item foaf:Document" data-nid="2867566"><div class="field-name-field-article-abstract"></div><div class="social-links"><p class="whatsapp-share last"><br></p><p class="whatsapp-share last"><a class="wa_btn wa_btn_s" style="margin: 1px; display: none;" href="whatsapp://send/" data-href="http://www.todayonline.com/world/chinas-hebei-vows-learn-lessons-new-graft-probe" data-text="Your sharing text will come here."><u><font color="#0066cc">Share</font></u></a><br></p></div><div class="authoring full-date"><span class="date-label">Published: </span><span class="date-value">8:55 AM, April 14, 2017</span></div><div class="authoring full-date"></div><div class="authoring"></div><div class="content"><p><br></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt;">SHANGHAI</span></strong><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> - The Communist Party in China's smog-hit Hebei province said it will "learn lessons" after one of its highest-ranking officials was placed under investigation for serious disciplinary violations, which usually serves as a code for corruption. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Provincial party leaders said they must treat the investigation into Yang Chongyong, chairman of the provincial Party Congress, as an "alarm bell" reminding them to maintain discipline, the provincial government website (</span><a href="http://www.hebei.gov.cn/"><u><font color="#0066cc"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">http://www.hebei.gov.cn</span></font></u></a><span style="font-size: 11pt;">) said late on Thursday. </span></p><!-- inline --><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><div class="left "></div><p><span style="font-size: 11pt;">China's graft watchdog announced earlier this week that Yang, also head of the provincial party organization committee and former vice-governor of Hebei, had been charged with disciplinary offences, though it provided no details. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The provincial party chief, Zhao Kezhi, said Hebei must "resolutely support" the decision to put Yang under investigation, adding that serious challenges remain when it came to fighting corruption in the province. </span><iframe class="teads-resize" style="margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; border: currentColor !important; border-image: none !important !important; width: 100% !important; height: 0px !important; display: block !important; min-height: 0px !important;"></iframe></p><p><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Neither Yang nor his representatives could be reached for comment. The vice-governor was a member of the provincial delegation at China's full-session of parliament in March, where he lobbied the central government for additional financial support in its fight against pollution. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Zhao's predecessor as provincial party head, Zhou Benshun, was dismissed and jailed for 15 years after a court determined he and his family had received more than 40 million yuan ($5.81 million) in bribes. He was also accused of involvement in "superstition". </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Hebei officials had been subject to scathing criticism for pursuing a growth-at-all-costs economic model and for failing to implement central government regulations, especially when it comes to tackling overcapacity and waging war on pollution. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Chinese president Xi Jinping has pursued a relentless campaign against deep-rooted corruption since assuming power, vowing to go after powerful "tigers" as well as lowly "flies". </span><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt;">REUTERS</span></strong></p><div class="social-links"><div class="item-list"><ul class="clearfix" id="social-links"><br></ul></div></div></div></article></div></div><p><br></p>
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