The industry unit is fully-owned by China's state-owned conglomerate Everbright Group, and is responsible of financing, and developing environmental protection and property projects for the group, according to its website.

Zhu has come under investigation for "serious violations of Communist Party's discipline and law", a euphuism for corruption, China's anti-corruption agency said.

The investigation was announced in a joint statement from the Central Commission Discipline Inspection (CCDI) office in northeast China's Heilongjiang province, and its special team stationed in the Everbright Group.

(Reporting by Cheng Leng and Brenda Goh; Editing by Tom Hogue)