China ZTE executive quits amid sex assault allegations

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".