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THAT FOUR KEY OFFICIALS OF A SINGLE PROVINCE were placed under investigation during the past week alone can be seen as a barometer for the momentum of the current anti-graft fight. Close connections with local businesspeople are reportedly characteristic of these ranking officials in North China's Shanxi, which is a wealthy coal-producing province.

A decision by the national leadership was announced on Monday about the replacement of Shanxi's provincial boss, accompanied by a negative evaluation of the province's political ecology.

That several well-known coal mine owners in the province were also investigated points to the network of interest delivery between the two. Local coal mine owners provided money that lubricated these officials' way up the echelon of officialdom and these officials rewarded businesspeople with the help and convenience they needed to make money.