China on Friday jailed for life the former Communist Party boss of its northeastern province of Liaoning after finding him guilty of corruption, state media said, as the government keeps up its crackdown on deeply engrained graft.

The court in central Henan province found Wang Min guilty of bribery and dereliction of duty, and ordered all his assets seized, the official People's Daily said.

Between 2004 and 2016, when Wang held a range of jobs, including party boss of Jilin, the province neighbouring Liaoning, he abused his position to seek personal gain in promotions for others, the paper said, citing the court.

He took bribes running to more than 146 million yuan ($22 million) and failed to prevent a creeping vote-buying scandal in Liaoning's provincial legislature, it added.

Half of the province's legislators were dismissed last year due to fraud.

Wang repented and admitted his guilt, meaning he received a lighter sentence, the People's Daily added, a probable reference to his escaping the death penalty.

It was not possible to reach a family or legal representative for comment.

President Xi Jinping's sweeping anti-corruption campaign has targeted a raft of high-ranking officials in industry and government. He has said the problem is so bad it could affect the Communist Party's grip on power.