China removes head of National Energy Administration
The Chinese government has removed one of its few senior Uighur officials from office, while he is under investigation for corruption.
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| Nur Baek Li at a press conference in Beijing in 2010. Photo: Reuters. |
China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said that the head of the National Energy Administration (NEA), Nurbai Keli, has been removed from his post. The official was arrested upon arriving at Beijing airport after visiting Russia to discuss investment plans,Reutersreport
The National Supervisory Commission (NSC), China's super-powerful anti-corruption agency, said last month that Mr Nu was being investigated for suspected "serious violations of discipline", a phrase often used to refer to corrupt officials.
Nurbai Keli, 57, is one of the few Uighurs to rise to senior positions in China. He served as governor of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region from 2008 to 2014. In addition to heading the NEA, he is also deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has made the energy sector a focus of his years-long anti-corruption campaign. Nu is the 12th senior NEA official to be investigated since the agency was established in 2008.
