China has sacked and will prosecute a senior official in its violence-prone far western region of Xinjiang after a probe found he wasn't doing enough to tackle extremism in one of the most sensitive parts of the country and had taken bribes.
Anti-graft watchdog the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said in a statement late on Saturday that Zhang Jinbiao, who was Communist Party chief for the Hotan region in Xinjiang's deep south, had broken party rules.
Zhang "seriously violated political discipline and political rules and did not exert himself in carrying out his counterterrorism and stability maintenance responsibilities, causing serious consequences," it said.