China has taken out one of its top espionage officials from an influential advisory panel, the state-run news outlet Xinhua reported on Wednesday.

The state mouthpiece said a vice minister at the Ministry of State Security, Ma Jian, has been under investigation for corruption.

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Ma is the highest security chief under scrutiny for graft since former national security head Zhou Yongkang was embroiled in a corruption scandal in July last year.

He was chief of the ministry's so-called "No. 8 Bureau," which is responsible for counter-spy surveillance of foreigners -- mainly diplomats, reporters and businessme - Reuters quoted a source close to the leadership as saying.

A vice minister of state security, Qiu Jin, has since replaced Ma.

The probe into Ma could be the beginning of a crackdown on the leadership of the influential state security ministry, a CIA-like agency that keeps an eye on foreigners and citizens and at home and overseas.

One of China's most secretive departments, the state security ministry has no spokesperson or public website.

The panel, called the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, has invalidated Ma's eligibility as an adviser, Xinhua reported on its blog, without going into details.

Last month, the China Communist Party's anti-graft authority said it was looking into Ma's activities, an indication of the biggest corruption crackdown that did not spare the influential intelligence network.

Xinhua did not say what spurred the probe into Ma but the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported Ma had close ties to Ling Jihua, who was investigated for graft last year. He used to be senior aide to former Chinese President Hu Jintao.

President Xi Jinping has pursued an anti-corruption campaign that has so far netted lowly "flies" and top "tigers" and he has announced plans to step up the program. 

TagsMa Jian, China corruption