Discipline watchdog probes science chief

The Party chief of China's national science and technology organization is being probed for alleged serious violations of discipline and laws, becoming the first full-ministerial-level official investigated in this year.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) made the announcement on its website Saturday, without providing further details of the investigation into Shen Weichen, Party secretary and executive vice-president of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST).

Shen, 58, also a member of the CCDI, was last mentioned on the CAST website in an article on Thursday about a visit to Miyun county, Beijing.

The CAST website also published articles this month about Shen attending meetings and making a speech about ethics in science research.

As China's largest national organization of scientific and technological workers, CAST maintains close ties with millions of Chinese scientists, engineers and other people working in the fields of science and technology, its website said.

It's not very normal that a probed official was mentioned only two days before the probe was announced, the Beijing Times reported, adding that normally their names "disappeared" from public attention long before they are detained.

"It shows that the CCDI's work style has been improving as the anti-corruption fight upgrades," Wang Yukai, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The CCDI makes moves immediately after they grasp enough evidence on violations and they keep the public informed, Wang said, adding that it also showed that snatching "tigers," referring to high officials, has become a common practice instead of an unusual action.

Shen had been a head of the publicity department of Shanxi province from 2000 to 2006 and a member of the provincial Standing Committee of the CPC from 2006 to 2010. In 2013, he became the Party chief of CAST.

During his tenure in Shanxi, Shen, along with the then head of provincial discipline, Jin Daoming, gave speeches to officials on launching anti-corruption campaign and urging them to avoid violations, local media reported in 2008 and 2010.

Jin, former deputy Party chief of Shanxi province, was probed for violating discipline and regulations, the CCDI announced in February 2014.

Wang believed that as the anti-corruption work deepens and covers a wider range, the inspection of the disciplinary body itself has also been strengthened.

The investigation of disciplinary officials including Shen showed that the anti-corruption campaign will spare no one, Wang said.

According to the Legal Mirror, a whistle-blower from Shanxi province claimed that Shen neglected his duty during his previous tenure and caused over 6 million yuan ($966,000) losses to a local ceramics factory.