Hainan official who played key role building South China Sea reefs faces corruption probe

Xiao Jie, a senior official in the Chinese province of Hainan who played a leading role in building reefs in disputed territories in the South China Sea, has been detained on suspicion of corruption.Xiao, 66, became the first Communist Party chief and mayor of Sansha when it was established as a prefecture-level city in 2012 to administer territories held by Beijing, including the Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands and Macclesfield Bank.He was accused of “serious violations of discipline and law” – a standard euphemism for corruption – and has been held for a “disciplinary review and supervisory investigation”, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the country’s top graft-busting body, said on Thursday.Several sources in Hainan said Xiao’s detention had shocked local officials as Xiao was a prominent figure in the province and the unusual arrangement in Sansha that saw him holding both the top party and government roles was usually regarded as a mark of trust.In China’s political system, while the role of the party chief is the most senior position, the head of government, in this case the mayor, usually serves as a political counterweight to ensure some checks and balances exist.During his near-five year stint governing Sansha, Xiao often featured in local media reports for his role in reclaiming land to build reefs, as well as setting up infrastructure and medical facilities to improve the quality of life for the military personnel and small civilian population living there.The official Hainan Daily newspaper said he had “forged Sansha into a strategic point safeguarding the South China Sea”, making the period the apex of his career. He also was regularly pictured leading teams on research trips to various islands and reefs and introduced a series of measures to protect the environment.