China's top state-assets supervisor says it's highly concerned over the US transnational bribery case involving 9 Chinese state firms. It has established an investigation group to look into the case.

The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, or SASAC, has also ordered the Chinese firms involved to immediately conduct an internal investigation and report back promptly.

According to a statement issued by the US Department of Justice, officials from 9 Chinese state firms allegedly received corrupt payments from a US company, CCI.

They are PetroChina, CNOOC, Datang Power, Dongfang Electric Corporation, Guohua Energy, China Resources Power Holdings Company, Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation, China Petroleum Materials and Equipment Corporation and Dingzhou Power.

Among them, four companies have denied involvement in the bribery case in announcements on their websites. They are Dongfang Electric Corporation, Guohua Energy, CNOOC and China Resources Power Holdings Company.

The other five companies have not responded.

The US firm CCI, or Control Components Incorporated, is a California-based valve manufacturer. It admitted to the US Department of Justice that from 2003 to 2007, it made 236 bribery payments totaling 6.85 million US dollars to clients in 36 countries, including China.

The company has agreed to pay a criminal fine of 18 million US dollars. Two former senior executives have pleaded guilty.

(CCTV August 24, 2009)