Corruption charges claim top Binhai official

The top Communist Party official in charge of the Tianjin Binhai New Area has been fired and expelled from the Party over corruption charges, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing state media. Pi Qiansheng had been under investigation before his firing for “serious discipline violations.” Removal from the Communist Party suggests that internal investigations have been completed and that Pi’s case will be sent to the courts for prosecution. Convictions in such cases are virtually guaranteed and sentences can range up to death. Binhai New Area hsa been aggressively promoted by Beijing in recent years with tax breaks and other incentives. It is home to Tianjin’s airport and many manufacturing plants, including an Airbus A320 passenger jet assembly line.