The discipline watchdog of the Communist Party of China (CPC)
has set its major tasks for this year, pledging continued efforts
to fight corruption in a variety of sectors and areas.
Wu Guanzheng, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for
Discipline Inspection, made the remarks in his report to the
commission's Third Plenary Session in last month, which was
published Sunday.
The Party will continue its bid to improve the education of
leading cadres to promote self-discipline and curb corruption, Wu
said in the report.
Wu, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political
Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said the Party will beef up
the campaign to tackle cases involving leading cadres and officials
suspected of breaking laws and disciplines, and punish corrupt
cadres and officials, mainly at the county level and above.
The Party will also step up efforts to protect the interests of
the general public through curbing projects designed by officials
only to show off at public expenses and by protecting the
legitimate interests of disadvantaged people such as farmers in
land acquisition deals, urban residents in relocation projects,
employees of state-owned firms in corporate regrouping and
bankruptcy deals, and migrant workers who often complain about
delayed payment of wages.
On the performance of the Party's discipline commissions at
various levels from December 2002 to November 2003, Wu said 174,580
leading officials at various levels across the country had been
disciplined for breaking laws and Party disciplines, including
6,043 at and above the county level and 21 at the ministerial
level.
Only a small percentage of those punished were involved in graft
cases, Wu said.
Wu said a total of 8,691 of those punished were deprived of
Party membership and were prosecuted according to law, including
412 leading Party and government officials at or above the county
level and six at the ministerial level.
To intensify its anti-graft campaign, the CPC published last
week its internal supervision regulations and regulations on
disciplinary penalties. The CPC Central Committee urged all the
Party members to earnestly study, widely publicize and strictly
observe the regulations.
(Xinhua News Agency February 23, 2004)