Three senior Chinese officials -- including a former top banking regulator -- have been expelled from the ruling Communist Party for alleged corruption and placed under criminal investigation, the country's graft watchdog said Monday.

The expulsions come days after Chinese authorities vowed "no mercy" in their ongoing anti-corruption campaign, which has brought down high-flying politicians and influential tycoons, ahead of a key political meeting that could secure President Xi Jinping a third term.

Critics argue China's anti-corruption campaign -- which Beijing says has already netted more than a million officials -- has served as a way to remove political enemies since Xi came to power in 2013.

Cai Esheng, former vice chairman of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, as well as former supreme court official Meng Xiang and former deputy director of the national food administration Xu Ming have all been expelled for "serious violation of discipline and laws", the party's top enforcement body said in three separate statements Monday.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said all three men were suspected of accepting bribes and "illegally receiving assets of massive value" as well as using their positions to help others further their personal interests.

The officials allegedly accepted inappropriately lavish banquets and violated the party's principles, the commission added.

The commission accused Cai in particular of "complete political degeneration", "severely disrupting the order of the financial market" and engaging in "transactions of money and sex".

All three men's cases have been transferred to public prosecutors, the commission said -- usually a sign of impending criminal charges.

The commission last week warned it would show "no mercy" against corruption within the ruling party, promising to continue its anti-graft crackdown ahead of October's 20th party congress, where Xi is widely expected to be handed a third term in office.

Those convicted of corruption can be stripped of their wealth and party membership, and face a lifetime behind bars or even death.

Hong Kong's top judge dismisses concerns about rule of law
Hong Kong (AFP) Jan 24, 2022 - Hong Kong's chief justice on Monday defended the handpicking of judges to hear controversial national security cases, dismissing "unsubstantiated" concerns about the rule of law in the Chinese finance hub.

Semi-autonomous Hong Kong owes much of its success to a transparent and internationally respected common law legal system, which stands in stark contrast to opaque, Communist Party-controlled courts in mainland China.

But the system has come under sustained pressure since massive democracy protests in 2019, with Beijing enacting a contentious national security law to quash dissent that critics say is incompatible with Hong Kong's legal traditions.

A key aspect of the security law is that instead of the usual trial by jury, national security cases are decided on by judges selected by Hong Kong's leader.

During the ceremonial opening of the 2022 legal year on Monday, top judge Andrew Cheung said justices presiding over national security cases were impartial and the heightened scrutiny of Hong Kong's rule of law was unwarranted.

"When such attention and comments are not based on objective facts and rational arguments, but rather on surmises, political stances or geopolitical considerations, they are of no value to the advancement of the rule of law in Hong Kong or the upholding of judicial independence," he said.

Criticisms of court decisions without first "understanding the reasons... are as meaningless as they are hollow. So is any unsubstantiated doubt over the courts' independence," he added.

"Judicial independence in Hong Kong exists as a fact."

But Cheung declined to disclose how many judges Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has so far appointed to national security cases, or reveal their identities.

Judges have found themselves in the firing line in Hong Kong's polarised politics, including some who have had private information leaked online.

Both democracy supporters and government loyalists have criticised rulings they dislike and some pro-Beijing figures have called for an overhaul of the judiciary.

More than 160 people have been arrested under the national security law, including activists and journalists from pro-democracy news outlets.

Often denied bail, many suspects have been detained for long periods before trial.

Last week the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong released a survey that showed 68 percent of respondents said their confidence in the rule of law had fallen in the last year.

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China warns of 'no mercy' in corruption and monopoly crackdown
Beijing (AFP) Jan 21, 2022
China has vowed to ramp up its regulatory crackdown and show "no mercy" against corruption as the ruling Communist Party gears up for a key meeting that could secure President Xi Jinping a third term. The announcement suggests authorities have no plans to rein in investigations that engulfed China's tech industry last year or an ongoing hunt for corruption that has brought down high-flying politicians and influential tycoons. The official Xinhua news agency carried a communique from the Communis ... read more