Chinese official pleads guilty to corruption, abuse of power

A former senior official in China - once a contender for a leadership position - has pleaded guilty to charges of corruption.

Sun Zhengcai is one of the most prominent figures charged as part of President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption crackdown.

He has pleaded guilty to taking bribes worth of $27m and abuse of power between 2002 and 2017.

Before he was expelled, Sun was the youngest member of the Politburo - a committee of the ruling Communist Party's top members.

Analysts say the Xi’s anti-corruption campaign is more really about eliminating political rivals.

Al Jazeera's Adrian Brown reports from Beijing.