BEIJING (REUTERS) - A deputy Communist Party boss in Beijing and the vice-mayor of Shanghai in charge of its experimental free trade zone have been sacked following corruption probes, state news agency Xinhua said on Monday (Nov 16).

Xinhua released the news, without giving further details, in two separate, brief reports on one of its official microblogs.

Officials are always removed from office following the beginning of graft probes.

Both the Beijing official, Lu Xiwen, and the Shanghai official, Ai Baojun, were accused by the ruling Communist Party last week of suspected "serious breaches of discipline", the usual euphemism for corruption.

The government has given no other details and it has not been possible to reach either for comment.

President Xi Jinping has embarked on a massive campaign to root out deeply ingrained corruption since assuming office three years ago, warning, like others before, that the problem is so bad it could affect the party's grip on power.