By Matthew Miller
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chang Xiaobing, the former chief executive and chairman of China Telecom Corp (HK:0728), pleaded guilty on Tuesday to taking bribes at the beginning of his trial, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Prosecutors accused Chang of accepting money and valuables worth more than 3.76 million yuan ($546,500) between 1998 and 2014 as a telecom official and, later, chairman of China Unicom (HK:0762), the news agency said.
Last July, the China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection announced that Chang had been expelled from the Communist Party.
Chang's case was tried at the Intermediate People's Court in Baoding City in Hebei province, Xinhua said. A verdict will be announced later.
Chang was not available for comment.