China Fires Senior Diplomat for Alleged Corruption

FILE - Zhang Kunsheng leaves a hotel in Hanoi, November 18, 2006.

China's foreign ministry says it has removed a senior diplomat from his position amid an investigation for an unspecified disciplinary violation.

In a one-sentence statement release on Friday the ministry did not offer more details about the removal of Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Kunsheng.

Zhang is the first top diplomat to be caught up in President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption campaign.

The expression "violating discipline" is widely used by Chinese authorities to describe corruption.