SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The former head of China's top securities regulator has been put under investigation by the country's anti-corruption watchdog on suspicion of violating laws, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said on Sunday.

Liu Shiyu had voluntarily surrended and was cooperating with the National Supervisory Commission for the investigation, the corruption watchdog added in the statement on its website, without giving more details.

He became the head of the China Securities Regulatory Commission in 2016 before stepping down in January this year to take up the post of deputy party chief at the All China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives.

(Reporting by Brenda Goh in Shanghai and Cheng Leng in Beijing, editing by Louise Heavens)