Senior Nuclear Official Falls Under Graft Probe

What’s new: A senior official at one of China’s largest state-owned nuclear power companies is under investigation for suspected corruption, according to the ruling Communist Party’s official graft-buster.

Liu Houcheng, a deputy chief economist at China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC), allegedly committed “serious disciplinary and legal violations,” a common euphemism for graft, according to a statement (link in Chinese) posted Wednesday on the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

The 59-year-old native of Shandong province was appointed as an advisor to CNNC’s president in 2018 after the energy giant absorbed China Nuclear Engineering Group Co. Ltd., and later joined its team of economists.

CNNC, which is directly managed by China’s central government, is the country’s second-largest nuclear operator. The company posted profits of 20.5 billion yuan ($3.16 billion) last year, a year-on-year rise of 16.8%.

The background: The announcement comes days after the CCDI said the former deputy chief of China’s National Energy Administration, Liu Baohua — who is not related to Liu Houcheng — was expelled from the Communist Party and removed from public office due to alleged corruption.

The cases are two of the latest to emerge under President Xi Jinping’s flagship anticorruption campaign, which has ensnared hundreds of thousands of officials since he took power in late 2012.

Contact reporter Matthew Walsh (matthewwalsh@caixin.com) and editor Marcus Ryder (marcusryder@caixin.com)

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