Ji Wenlin, vice-governor of Hainan province, has became the latest high-profile official to be investigated on suspicion of severe violations of discipline, the country's top anti-graft agency said on Tuesday.

Ji started his political career in 1989. From April 2000 to April 2003, he worked in the CPC Sichuan provincial committee office as the deputy director. He then served as the deputy director in the general office of the Ministry of Public Security from April 2003 to December 2008. Starting work in Hainan province in October 2010, Ji was elected vice-governor of the province in January 2013.

He is the first ministerial-level official to be placed under investigation by the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection this year. Last year, the commission probed at least 17 officials at the same level.

According to the Supreme People's Procuratorate, 30 ministerial-level officials were investigated from 2008 to 2012.

President Xi Jinping said early last year that both "tigers and flies" (senior and lower-level corrupt officials) will be punished and power should be put into "the cage of regulations".

Also on Tuesday, the Supreme People's Procuratorate revealed in a conference that procuratorial organs nationwide had handled 3,423 cases of graft and bribery in January, an 11.6 percent increase over the same period last year.

The number of people involved in these cases increased by 8.2 percent, reaching 4,480. Major cases of graft and bribery increased by 13.7 percent to 2,810, covering 82.1 percent of the total.

While enforcing the investigation of corruption cases involving leading administrative, judicial and law enforcement officials abusing power, the agency will also pay more attention to those cases in economic activities. Areas that will be targeted will include State asset supervision, authorized operation and investment of State-owned capital and the development of the mixed ownership economy, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

The procuratorate also vowed to crack down on cases affecting vital interests of the public, including cases in land acquisition and resettlement, environmental protection, and poverty and disaster relief.