An official in northeast China has fled the country, allegedly taking tens of millions of dollars with him, amid a probe into corruption, a state newspaper said Wednesday. The communist party chief of Fengcheng, a city in Liaoning province, left in April with as much as 200 million yuan ($32 million), the official China Daily Newspaper said. The report quoted a spokesman for Dandong city, which administers Fengcheng, confirming the disappearance of party head Wang Guoqiang, although he could not verify the amount of money taken. Anonymous Internet postings, which could not be verified, said Wang had fled to the United States amid a party investigation into a company run by a former classmate which had dealings with the city. Fengcheng has not made a public statement about the issue, but the city on Monday announced a new party secretary to replace Wang, according to a statement. The local government could not be reached on Wednesday.
