Provincial- and ministerial-level officials were found to hold 229 part-time positions in businesses in investigations that began in October, People's Daily reported on Wednesday.

An official from the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee was quoted by the newspaper, saying that officials have been dismissed from 173 of those positions, and the remaining 56 are undergoing removal procedures.

The investigations were launched after the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee issued a notification in October to regulate officials holding part-time positions in businesses.

In total, party and government officials were found to hold 40,700 positions in businesses across the country.