Xiaomi’s vice president fired after sexual assault allegations

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has fired its vice president, Wāng Língmíng 汪凌鸣, who was accused of sexual misconduct in the workplace.

The Beijing News reports (in Chinese) that Wang, a 44-year-old employee who oversaw the company’s business in Africa, was detained by Beijing police on May 14 and detained for five days after violating article 44 of China’s public safety law, which states that, “Whoever commits an obscenity against another person or deliberately exposes his body in a public place shall be detained for a period of no less than five days and up to ten.”

In an internal letter sent to Xiaomi’s employees on May 23, the company’s human resources department announced the dismissal of Wang, saying that the decision was made after discussions at the senior level.

“One of the basic requirements we have for our employees is to obey laws and be people of integrity and honesty,” the letter says. “In order to build Xiaomi into an enterprise with a strong sense of social responsibility, we ask every employee to have basic morality, self-esteem, and self-respect.”

Neither Xiaomi nor the police have disclosed details regarding the case, but according to people with knowledge of the matter (in Chinese), Wang allegedly sexually assaulted his female assistant in the workplace.