Two disgraced senior Chinese officials -- Zheng Xiaoyu and Qiu Xiaohua were stripped of their membership as the country's political advisors before the top advisory body's annual full session which is slated to open on March 3.

The Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) passed the dismissal decision on Wednesday.

Known as the government's "think tank", CPPCC members are activists, experts, scholars and public figures from various walks of life, .

The main function of the CPPCC is to conduct political consultations, exercise democratic supervision and discuss the handling of state affairs.

Zheng Xiaoyu, former director of the State Food and Drugs Administration, was investigated for allegedly abusing his position and taking bribes in exchange for ignoring drug approval regulations.

Qiu Xiaohua, former director of the National Bureau of Statistics, was earlier sacked and expelled from the Chinese Communist Party.

Qiu, who was accused of bribe-taking and polygamy, is currently in custody.

Qiu was among a handful of high ranking officials that fell amid China's strong anti-graft campaign last year, which also brought down Shanghai's former Party chief Chen Liangyu, the highest ranking Communist official busted in a corruption probe in a decade.

Source: Xinhua