Former aide to Chinese vice president named in anti-graft probe

BEIJING (Reuters) - A long-time colleague of Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan is under investigation for corruption and suspected of "serious" violation of the law, Chinese authorities have announced.

Dong Hong served as a senior disciplinary inspector under Wang until 2017, when Wang was chief of China's anti-corruption agency, the Central Commission for Disciplinary Inspection (CCDI).

The CCDI, in a one-line statement on its website on Friday, said Dong was "suspected serious violation of laws and party rule".

Dong could not be reached for comment.

Public information on Dong's career is scarce, though state media articles date his relationship with Wang back to the 1990s.

President Xi Jinping has overseen a fierce anti-graft drive, which was spearheaded by Wang and his officials in the years after Xi took over the presidency in 2012.

Wang, who is known to be close to Xi, was appointed vice president in 2018.

Investigations against former officials are not unusual in China, though they rarely target those in close proximity to high-level serving politicians.

(Reporting by Cate Cadell; Editing by Robert Birsel)