China said Friday that Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Kunsheng has been fired for alleged corruption, in what appears to be the first sacking of a senior diplomat for graft.
Zhang "was removed from the post of assistant foreign minister" because he is "suspected of violating discipline and under investigation," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a brief statement, without elaborating further.
The expression "violating discipline" is widely used by Chinese authorities to describe corruption.
Chinese state-run media said Qin Gang, the Chinese foreign ministry's chief spokesman, took up the post held by Zhang, while Assistant Foreign Minister Liu Jianchao would become acting chief spokesman.
Liu is in charge of Korean Peninsula affairs.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has been stepping up his anti-corruption campaign since he took power two years ago. (Yonhap)