High-ranking diplomat loses post in China corruption probe

BEIJING, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Zhang Kunsheng was removed from his Chinese Foreign Ministry position Friday, the first top diplomat caught up in the government's anti-corruption campaign.

The Ministry, in a one-sentence statement, said Zhang, the highest-ranking of four assistant foreign ministers, was being investigated for a "disciplinary violation," the typical government code word for corruption. State media described him as the highest-ranking diplomat caught in President Xi Jinping's sweeping anti-corruption drive.

Chinese media said the investigation was related to that of former senior presidential aide Ling Jihua, the BBC reported Friday.

The sweeping anti-corruption campaign, begun in 2012, has brought down thousands of Chinese governments employees, mostly officials within China's interior ministries and agencies.