Fears of Shanxi power vacuum amid ongoing anti-graft probes

Fears of a power vacuum in North China's Shanxi province have sprouted amid the latest series of probes into senior officials in the region, according to caixin.com.

Wang Yinwang, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Pingding county committee, has become the latest official in Shanxi to come under investigation for "serious disciplinary violations," the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection announced Tuesday.

Shanxi native Wang, 45, assumed the role in 2011. During his previous tenure as head of the county government, Pingding was plagued by illegal private mining and subject to continuous media attention.

Shanxi has seen a series of arrests and investigations targeting corrupt officials and business executives since last year, leaving many empty seats among the higher ranks in government organs.

The probed senior officials included Jin Daoming, vice chairman of Shanxi Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee and Shen Weichen, former Party chief of Taiyuan.

In April, mayor Yang Xiaobo of the province's southeastern city of Gaoping was fired over serious violations of discipline. The post has remained empty.

Some officials in Jincheng's Yangcheng and Qinshui counties have taken up double positions since March. Local sources said it is increasingly difficult for the government to promote officials as they tend to have problems once selected.