Former China Telecom chairman stands trial for bribery

SHIJIAZHUANG -- Chang Xiaobing, former chairman of China Telecom, went on trial for accepting bribes on Tuesday.

Prosecutors accused Chang of accepting money and valuables worth more than 3.76 million yuan ($550,000) between 1998 and 2014 when he served as a telecom official and chairman of China Unicom.

Chang took advantage of his positions during the period to seek benefits for others in terms of contracting projects and purchases of equipment, according to prosecutors.

China Unicom and China Telecom are two of China's top three telecom service providers.

The case was tried at the Intermediate People's Court of Baoding City in North China's Hebei province.

Chang confessed to his crimes during the trial, according to the court. The verdict will be announced at another date.

The CPC discipline inspection agency announced in July that Chang had been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and dismissed from public office for a catalog of offenses ranging from accepting bribes to ignoring frugality rules.