(WANG JIANMIN)

China Mobile Ltd., the world's largest mobile carrier by subscriber number, dismissed its vice chairman Zhang Chunjiang on January 7.

The Board of Directors of New York- and Hong Kong-listed China Mobile made the decision after Zhang was removed from his post of vice president at parent China Mobile Communications Corp. on December 31, 2009, for involvement in "serious economic irregularities."

According to a statement of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, the Party's disciplinary watchdog, Zhang is under investigation.

A report from Xinhua News Agency said Zhang had allegedly falsified accounts involving 20 billion yuan ($2.93 billion) during his tenure as president of China Netcom Communications Group Corp. between May 2003 and May 2008. China Netcom Communications merged with China United Communications Group Corp. in October 2008.

The 51-year-old Zhang was vice minister of information industry from 1999-2003.