The dismissal came two days after the ruling party's corruption watchdog, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, revealed that Ji had been placed under internal investigation.

Ji, 56, had been mayor of Nanjing since late 2009. He is also a deputy Communist Party chief of Nanjing, which has a population of about eight million.

An earlier report in the online version of the newspaper said Ji was under investigation for "economic crimes", a euphemism for corruption.

The online report, citing other media reports, said Ji's case may have involved over 20 million yuan (HK$25.3 million). It quoted sources as saying Ji awarded projects to a company he had ties with.

Ji has spent his entire political career in Jiangsu province, including stints as the mayor and party secretary of both Kunshan and Yangzhou .

Ji has been known as "Mayor Bulldozer" for his strong penchant for big capital projects in Nanjing as well as during his previous stint in Yangzhou.

President Xi Jinping has vowed to crack down on corruption at all levels of the government, calling graft a threat to the future of the party.

But critics say the anticorruption campaign has so far netted a series of low-ranking officials and only a handful of senior figures, with no reforms introduced to increase transparency to help fight graft.

Last month, former Politburo member Bo Xilai was jailed for life for bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power.