Official expelled from CPC after molestation

SHENZHEN - An official in south China's Guangdong province has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) after an investigation showed he molested a hotel worker in Taiwan, local authorities said on Monday.

Li Pingshan, a party official of the Longgang neighborhood community in the Longgang District of Shenzhen, has also been given an administrative punishment, the information office of the district government said on its official microblog account, without elaborating.

Li earlier was suspended from his post after an initial investigation found him guilty of serious discipline violation in response to Tuesday's online exposure of him molesting a hotel porter in Taiwan.

Taiwanese media reported that a mainland official surnamed Li orally and physically molested a male hotel porter during his stay on the island on May 19. The two reached a compromise after Li paid NT$180,000 dollars ($6,000) in compensation, the reports said.

The government's further investigation confirmed the media reports, saying Li arrived with the community's economic and trade delegation on May 19 and the molestation occurred during dinner that day.

Li's action violated the discipline of the CPC and government and had a very bad influence, the information office said.