BEIJING (REUTERS) - The top Chinese government official in the southern city of Zhuhai, which borders gambling hub Macau, has been placed under investigation for suspected corruption, the country's main graft-busting agency said on Wednesday (March 23).

Li Jia, Zhuhai's Communist Party chief, is suspected of"serious discipline breaches", the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said, using the usual euphemism for corruption.

It provided no other details.

It was not possible to reach Li for comment and unclear if he has retained a lawyer.

Li, 51, took up his post in 2012.

Zhuhai is one of China's original special economic zones, set up in 1980 at the start of the country's landmark economic reforms.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned that rampant corruption threatens the survival of the Communist Party and his anti-corruption campaign has brought down scores of top officials in the party, the government, the military and state-owned companies.