Xu Zongheng has been formally sacked as mayor of south China's Shenzhen City for taking bribes and other abuses, the Communist Party of China (CPC)'s disciplinary watchdog said Wednesday.

Xu was removed from his official post and stripped of his CPC membership for "severe violation of disciplines and the law," said a statement from the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

A CCDI investigation found Xu had abused his office to make profits for others, accepted large amounts of money in return, and led a "corrupt life," said the statement.

Xu, 55, who became mayor of Shenzhen in 2005, was stripped of his post as deputy to the National People's Congress, the national legislature, in August last year.