The authority of China's anti-corruption supervisory commissions will not be widened and they will not become super power bodies, Yang Xiaodu, minister of supervision, said on Monday at the Ministers' Corridor during this year's Two Sessions. [Special coverage]
"We don't think the supervisory commission is an organ with super powers," Yang told reporters. "Most of our work is a reminder to public officers. But no one should doubt our commitment to punishing corrupt officials who are obstinate to go their own way."
Yang said the commissions will receive oversight from the Communist Party of China (CPC), the law-making body, the media and the public.
"In the past, there were holes in our anti-graft system – that is the supervision of public officers who are not members of the Communist Party of China, and who are not civil servants," Yang said, in explaining the reason behind the setting up of the supervisory agencies.
The Communist Party of China Central Committee has proposed listing supervisory commissions as state organs in the country's Constitution to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).
The first session of the 13th NPC is expected to deliberate and approve the national supervision law, establish the national supervisory commission, and elect members to the commission.
Yang, also deputy secretary to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), told reporters, "The proposed national supervisory commission shall work together with the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which means it will report to the CPC Central Committee and will also be led and supervised by them. Meanwhile, the proposed Supervisory Commission will be generated through NPC election, so it will report to the NPC as well."
Yang also said that after the new supervisory commissions are established, there will be only a 10-percent increase in staff members.
Although staff members' responsibility and powers will be expanded in the future, their authority is basically the same as the Party's discipline inspection and administrative supervisory machinery, he said.
"Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee centered by President Xi Jinping, we take a firm position against corruption and we have made significant achievements but anti-corruption is a long battle."
Yang told reporters that since 2012, 322 minister-level officials have been placed under investigation for graft issues. Thus, after the 19th CPC National Congress, one state-level official and 29 minister-level officials have been placed under investigation.
The Ministers' Corridor at the Great Hall of the People is the area where ministers and heads of state departments take brief questions from journalists as they leave plenary sessions.
