ICAC chief Simon Peh in mainland visit

Hong Kong's top graft-buster is visiting the mainland to meet top officials, exchange experiences and discuss Beijing's crackdown on corruption.

Independent Commission Against Corruption commissioner Simon Peh Yun-lu is also visiting Guangzhou and Shenzhen during his five-day trip, which began in Beijing on Monday.

The trip comes at a sensitive time for the ICAC; in July, a committee of lawmakers lambasted Peh's predecessor, Timothy Tong Hin-ming for his close ties to mainland officials. Accusing him of "tarnishing the image" of the body and shaking public confidence in its impartiality, the lawmakers noted Tong spent large sums of public money on lavish gifts and entertainment for visiting mainland officials.

The ICAC said Peh's visit was intended to "step up exchanges and foster cooperation with the mainland's anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies".

Peh met Cao Jianming , procurator general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, and Minister of Supervision Huang Shuxian . He and Daniel So Ping-hung, head of the ICAC's Centre for Anti-corruption Studies, were due to visit the State Council's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office yesterday.

The visit comes amid a crackdown on graft on the mainland ordered by President Xi Jinping , which has snared a number of high-profile officials.