Former security chief Zhou Yongkang under probe

Zhou's circle: Security authorities, Sichuan province, China National Petroleum Corporation

Editor's note: The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has decided to place Zhou Yongkang under investigation for suspected "serious disciplinary violation", reported Xinhua news agency Tuesday evening.

The investigation will be conducted by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The decision was made according to the CPC Constitution and the CPC discipline inspection authority's case investigation regulation.

Zhou's profile

A former member of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's top decision-making body, Zhou Yongkang started his political career at PetroChina and is widely thought to have acolytes throughout the country's oil industry.

Zhou, male, ethnic Han, native of Wuxi, Jiangsu province, born in Dec 1942.

Highlights

Media voices

China's 'tigers' no longer burning bright The fall of Zhou Yongkang will send shudders down the spines of other corrupt officials who may think their high positions and retirement will protect them. Zhou's son held on charges of illegal business dealings Zhou Bin, the younger son of former top security chief Zhou Yongkang, has been placed under detention on a charge of illegal business dealings. Investigators dig deeply into CNPC operations China's ongoing anti-corruptioninvestigations into officials who have close ties to China National Petroleum Corp, the country's oil giant, may affect the company's business operations and a billion-dollar project in Canada. CPC to highlight rule of law The justice system will be the focus of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee when it meets in October. Oil shares soar on news of Zhou's fall from grace Following the Communist Party of China Central Committee's announcement that former security chief Zhou Yongkang is being investigated on suspicion of "serious disciplinary violations”, PetroChina Co Ltd led a rally of oil stocks in morning trading on Wednesday.			The launch of a public, if carefully stage-managed, investigation into Mr Zhou will lend teeth to an anti-corruption campaign that has been the centerpiece of President Xi Jinping's administration since he took power in late 2012.
			Charges against Mr Zhou could well center on the fortunes made by members of his family, often in sectors once under his sway.
			In initial reactions observed on Weibo, China's Twitter-like micro-blogging platform, netizens appeared to praise the announcement. Thumbs-up emoticons, "Got him!" and "Good job!" were just some of the more popular responses.
			Zhou is the first former member of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's top political body, to be formally investigated.
			The case indicated Xi was serious about rooting out graft among the elite "tigers" as well as the lowly "flies". "The investigation shows Xi is telling the public that his language about the anti-corruption campaign of the past few months is not just rhetoric but a reality, and he is not afraid to strike at powerful people," said Xigen Li, an associate professor at City University of Hong Kong's department of media and communication.
			People's Daily carried a story on Zhou Yongkang from Xinhua News Agency and published below it a comment entitled "To govern the Communist Party of China strictly and stand unswervingly". The comment said the Party has no privileged members. More Chinese media coverage
			As a keyword on Weibo searches, "Zhou Yongkang" had became the top hotword in all of China with more than 11 million entries.Read more

Zhou's former colleagues who have been probed

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