Top Xinjiang Official Faces Graft Probe

A high-level official in northwest Xinjiang region – where Muslims have been held in internment camps – has come under investigation by the country's anti-corruption agency, authorities said on Monday.

Ren Hua, the 56-year-old vice chairwoman of the region, is suspected of "serious violations of discipline and law", a euphemism for corruption, according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The announcement did not give further details of her alleged wrongdoings.

NGOs estimate that one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim Turkic-speaking ethnic minorities are being held in internment camps in the region.

China defends the facilities as vocational educational centres intended to offer an alternative to Islamic extremism, but Uighur activists say the country is conducting a brainwashing campaign aimed at eradicating their distinct culture and Muslim identity.

Ren, a Han Chinese native of eastern Shandong province, is a graduate of Xinjiang University and has held various appointments in the region over the years.

She has held the vice chair position since January 2018 and is also deputy head of the Communist Party Committee Propaganda Department.

Beijing has been cracking down on a growing number of party cadres in President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign, which critics say has also served as a way to remove the leader's political enemies.

The number of prosecutions related to corruption in China nearly doubled last year, according to a report by Beijing's top prosecutor. (AFP)