China's Liuzhou Steel chairman charged with corruption

[SHANGHAI] The chairman of China's state-owned Guangxi Liuzhou Iron & Steel has been charged with embezzlement and taking bribes, media reported, in an apparent sign that the government has escalated an anti-graft campaign in the steel sector.

Liang Jingli, chairman of Liuzhou Steel, went on trial on Tuesday, and was accused, along with other top company officials, of taking advantage of their positions for personal gain, the Xinhua news agency reported late on Tuesday.

Calls to Liuzhou Steel went unanswered.

Liuzhou Steel is the only large-scale mill in southwestern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

China has intensified a campaign against corruption in the sector, which has expanded quickly over the past decade.

Officials from Baosteel Group, Wuhan Iron & Steel and the smaller Jiuquan Steel have also been investigated for disciplinary violations.

REUTERS