China's former university chief expelled from national legislature

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) announced Saturday that Zhou Wenbin, former president of Nanchang University, has been expelled from the national legislature. Zhou was deprived of his seat in the 12th NPC on May 29 by the Standing Committee of the Jiangxi Provincial People's Congress, where he had been elected. The Standing Committee of the NPC confirmed the decision of the provincial congress at its bimonthly session, which closed here Saturday. The Jiangxi provincial government dismissed Zhou from his post as the university president on June 18. The decisions followed an investigation into Zhou for his alleged serious disciplinary violations. Born in 1960, Zhou had served as president of the university since 2002. He was also deputy Party chief of the university. At the session, the NPC Standing Committee also announced that another NPC deputy Shi Zongyuan died of illness in late March. In addition, it confirmed the credentials of eight new NPC deputies, all provincial party chiefs or governors, elected in bi-elections after a general election of the 12th NPC deputies finished in January. So far the NPC has a total of 2,992 deputies from 35 election units representing 34 Chinese regions and the People's Liberation Army, according to the NPC Standing Committee.