China ZTE executive quits amid sex assault allegations

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EPA

An executive at Chinese tech giant ZTE has resigned following reports that he is under investigation for sexual assault.

The company announced that Bao Yuming, also known as Robert Y Bao, had stepped down from its board.

The firm, which makes telecoms equipment, said in a stock exchange filing that it was “concerned” by the media reports.

Mr Bao, a lawyer, has not yet commented on the allegations.

He has also been dismissed from positions at an oil company and a university.

Dismissed from other posts

According to the Chinese newspaper Global Times, police in the city of Yantai, in Shandong province, investigated a complaint against Mr Bao in April 2019 and concluded that his behaviour had not constituted a crime.

However, a fresh complaint was made against him in October and police have launched another investigation, the paper said.

In a filing with the Shenzhen Stock Exchange on Friday, ZTE said that it had received the resignation letter of Mr Bao – a non-executive board member – and that he would no longer hold any position at the company.

In a separate stock exchange filing, the Yantai Jereh Oilfield Services Group said Mr Bao had been fired from his role as vice-president.

Also on Friday, the Southwest University of Political Science and Law, in Chongqing, said Mr Bao had been dismissed from his post as a part-time researcher.

Mr Bao has been at ZTE since mid-2018, according to the Global Times. In its 2018 annual report, ZTE described Mr Bao as “one of the top 10 chief legal officers in the country”.