Mills' managers fall in anti-corruption drive

Moves by the Chinese government to raise the steel industry's competitiveness by wiping out corruption have brought several senior officials under investigation.

Shi Xiongliang, former deputy general manager of Ma'anshan Iron & Steel Co Ltd, was recently charged with bribery in Anhui province. He was accused of accepting 1.9 million yuan ($310,000) from material suppliers and dealers in exchange for business.

"For steel firms, the procurement and sales departments are fertile breeding grounds for corruption," said Wei Zengmin, an analyst at Shanghai-based industry consultancy mysteel.com. He said it is common knowledge that kickbacks are available through purchasing departments.