Griffiths scored the winner only 10 minutes in while Tianjin were reduced to 10 men in stoppage time when midfielder Tan Wangsong was sent off for a reckless challenge on keeper Yang Zhi.

"I will give credit to Joel for the valuable winner he scored today," said Beijing coach Lee Jang-soo. "Overall, our performance was fairly good today."

Beijing now have 22 points and are on a four-game winning streak.

Defending champions Shandong Luneng are level on points with the capital side after they defeated Hangzhou Lucheng 1-0 away, but lie second due to goal difference.

Li Jinyu scored for Shandong after 24 minutes.

Elsewhere, Henan Jianye remain four points back in third after they narrowly beat Changchun Yatai 1-0 thanks to a 82nd-minute strike from Neituo, while Guangzhou Guangyao are a point behind in fourth after they got the better of Shanghai Shenhua 2-1.

Changchun also have 17 points in fifth, as do sixth-placed Dalian Shide who were held to a 0-0 draw with Shaanxi Baorong.

In the day's other games Chongqing Lifan were held by Chengdu Blades 1-1 and Changsha Ginde beat Jiangsu Shuntian 2-1.