BEIJING- Jiang Jiemin, head of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) of the State Council, and deputy secretary of the SASAC committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), has been removed from office because of suspected serious disciplinary violations.

Xinhua learnt the information Tuesday from the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee.

Vice Chairman and President of PetroChina Company Limited Jiang Jiemin attends a news conference in Hong Kong in this March 19, 2007 file photo. [Photo/Agencies]

Jiang is being probed for "grave discipline violations", a term that generally refers to corruption, according to a statement by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Communist Party of China's graft-fighting watchdog.

The duties of SASAC include supervising and managing State-owned assets, guiding and pushing forward the reform and restructuring of State-owned enterprises, and appointing and removing top executives of supervised enterprises, according to the SASAC website.

Experts said the recent concentrated probes on officials and executives related to the energy sector show the country's stepped-up crackdown on corruption in State-owned monopoly industries.

No details were given about the probe.

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