BEIJING—A former top Communist Party official once seen as a potential successor and rival to Chinese President Xi Jinping received a life sentence on corruption charges—a punishment state media portrayed as lenient.
A court on Tuesday issued the life sentence to Sun Zhengcai, a member of the party’s ruling Politburo until his ouster last year, despite his pleading guilty and expressing regret for accepting millions of dollars in bribes at his trial last month.
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