Former China president Hu approved graft probe against aide: sources

Beijing

CHINESE President Xi Jinping secured the blessing of his still influential predecessor, Hu Jintao, before launching a corruption probe against a former senior aide to Mr Hu - a sign that internal Communist Party harmony and respect for elders still holds sway in Mr Xi's historic crackdown on official graft.

Mr Hu signed off on the probe into disgraced former aide Ling Jihua, who is suspected of trying to cover up his son's death in a luxury sports car crash two years ago, people with ties to the leadership said.