Former Dongfeng official probed

A former senior executive of one of China's automobile giants was placed under disciplinary investigation on Thursday, becoming the latest in a series of industry figures scrutinized by anti-graft watchdogs.

Fan Zhong, 61, who had served as labor union chairman and deputy Party chief of Dongfeng Motor Corp, is facing an internal probe on suspicion of alleged "serious violations of regulations and laws", a term that usually means corruption, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission said in a statement. The commission did not elaborate.

Fan, a native of Shanxi province, joined the Chaoyang Diesel Engine Plant in Liaoning province in 1982 after graduating from a local polytechnic institute. He moved up through the ranks at the plant to become a senior manager at Dongfeng after the Wuhan company acquired the plant in 1993.