1st Ld-Writethru: Huang Xingguo expelled from CPC

Huang Xingguo, former acting Party chief and mayor of Tianjin Municipality, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and dismissed from public office, the Party discipline agency said Wednesday.

"Huang severely violated political discipline and the political code of conduct," according to a CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection statement released Wednesday.

He made groundless criticisms of the Party's key policies, sabotaged the CPC's centralization and unity, complied with Party rules in public while opposing them in private, practiced superstitious activities, interfered in details of his case, and confronted an organizational probe, the statement said.

The statement outlined a litany of violations on Huang's part, including giving out positions and other favors; accepting huge bribes of property and money; conniving with relatives, allowing them to use his influence to seek profits; taking advantage of his post to seek profits for his son and others; arranging an official entourage larger than allowed; and failing to supervise people around him.

"Huang was found to have disintegrated politically, grown greedy economically and become depraved in life," the statement said, adding that the nature of his violations was very serious.

The statement said Huang's actions caused "very bad influence, seriously undermining the political ecosystem in Tianjin and damaging the cause of the Party and its image."

His ill-gotten gains will be confiscated, and his case will be transferred to the judiciary, the statement said. Endi