Former China work safety regulator expelled from Party

BEIJING - Yang Dongliang, former head of the State Administration of Work Safety, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and removed from public office, said the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the CPC on Friday.

A statement from the CCDI read multiple disciplinary and organizational violations made by Yang, who is also a former member of the CPC Central Committee.

Yang seriously acted against discipline and rules, illegally organized political activities and obstructed investigation efforts on him, said the statement.

He was accused of accepting bribes, embezzling public funds and taking advantage of his post to seek profits for others, all of which are suspected of having committed crimes.

Other violations include arranging jobs for his son and helping him get promoted, violating regulations when choosing and promoting cadres, lavishing public funds, using government vehicles for private purposes, joining paid entertainment activities and encroaching more houses than he should have.

CCDI noted in the statement that Yang "has lost his ideals and conviction, seriously violated Party discipline," and the result is that he did not restrain himself even after the 18th CPC National Congress when President Xi Jinping started the anti-corruption campaign.

His ill-gotten wealth has been confiscated while his case will be transferred to judicial organs, it said.

Yang was placed under investigation in Aug. 18, days after a warehouse storing dangerous chemicals exploded in north China's Tianjin port, claiming more than 160 lives.