BEIJING -- Wang Lixia, former chairwoman of North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and dismissed from public office for serious violations of Party discipline and laws, an official statement said on Thursday.

In a joint statement, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Commission of Supervision stated that the decisions were made following an investigation into Wang's case, conducted with the approval of the CPC Central Committee.

Wang, also former deputy Party secretary of this autonomous region, was found to have lost her ideals and convictions, paying only lip service to the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee while acting in defiance and pursuing her own agenda.

The investigation determined that Wang was obsessed with vanity and had indulged in a luxury lifestyle. She was found to have accepted huge amounts of money and gifts in exchange for helping others secure promotions, project approvals and construction contracts.

Her illicit gains will be confiscated and the case will be transferred to procuratorial authorities for examination and prosecution in accordance with the law, the statement added.