The top anti-graft body of the Communist Party of China (CPC) held a press conference on Wednesday, briefing their progress on previous work and explaining future plans.
China has been sparing no pains in combating corruption and building a clean government for decades. In the next five years, the anti-corruption agencies of the CPC will strengthen their executive ability to battle problems such as corruption, embezzlement, and abuse of power by establishing effective mechanisms.
139,621 graft cases handled in 2010
The top anti-graft body of the CPC investigated 139,621 graft cases in 2010. Among these, 139,482 cases have been closed, said Wu Yuliang, deputy secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC during the press conference on June 22.
Wu disclosed that a total of 146,517 people received disciplinary punishment and 5,373 were transferred to judicial departments for suspected crimes last year.
Wu summarized the CPC’s efforts in curbing graft and building a clean government over the past 90 years.
Since China implemented its reform and opening up policies over 30 years ago, especially after entering the 21st century, the CPC has stepped up the fight against corruption through comprehensive management, analyzing both symptoms and root causes, and emphasizing precautionary measures.
Wu said the CPC plans more inspections and supervision of Party officials and is also paying special attention to vices among them, such as embezzlement, bribery, breach of discipline, abuse of power, and severe violation of laws.
Assets declaration system for officials
Wu also explained the CPC’s core measures this year, one of which is to supervise officials’ assets.
Wu did not offer a timetable for the much-anticipated assets declaration system, but he said declaring assets is a common practice in many countries, which has proven to be effective.
According to the CPC Central Committee's anti-corruption guidelines for 2008-2012, the Party will accelerate its pace in setting up this system, though there is more research and evaluation work to be done.
Wu said at the press conference that the system aims at supervising leading officials’ assets by requiring them to report personal income, the employment status of children and spouses, property interests, and investments.
In 2010, a total of 1,672,902 officials had reported their information on personal assets. Among them, 851,353 officials have declared their property ownership, while 606,813 reported their investments, and 805,269 reported the employment status of their children and spouses.
Monitoring officials’ overseas assets and their movements
In the past few years, the number of cases of officials stealing money and fleeing overseas has increased considerably and has caught the public’s eye.
Wu said, “China has been strengthening international cooperation in law enforcement to catch and prevent corrupt officials from fleeing abroad.”
Monitoring officials’ overseas assets and their movements will help departments to catch them and return their money.
Managing the use of public vehicles
Wu said the other core measure this year is to monitor the use of public vehicles. He mentioned that, on April 25, the Party held a teleconference to mobilize the work of managing the use of public vehicles and to determine targets.
All government departments need to figure out what problems they have concerning public vehicles and immediately correct them. They must lower maintenance costs and strictly control the number of public vehicles and manage their use by preventing misuse for private purposes.
Former railways minister still under investigation
When asked about the case of former Railway Minister Liu Zhijun, Wu told reporters that he is still under investigation.
Liu has been investigated for alleged "severe violation of discipline" since February and the national legislature dismissed him from his post later that month. In his tenure, Liu was known for pursuing world-class luxury goods.
Wu also commented: “Liu's case proves the Party and the government's firm determination to fight against corruption. In the future, the Party will exercise stricter supervision on all officials. Whoever is involved will be treated in a fair manner.”
