Officials' assets in spotlight

South China's Guangdong province, traditionally a forerunner of reform in the country, will test out a program that will make details of officials' assets public, as part of an effort to fight corruption.

The Hengqin new area in Zhuhai, the Nansha district of Guangzhou and Shixing county under the administration of Shaoguan city, have been selected as the districts where the test will be rolled out. The program will require all Communist Party of China and government officials to report their assets.

The officials' assets will be made public and public opinion will be sought, according to a statement that the Guangdong Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC released over the weekend.

"Currently, preparation work for the introduction of the test project is well under way in the three areas, while local Party commissions for discipline inspection are busy studying the details and relevant rules for the project, which is meant to prevent and fight corruption," said authorities with the Guangdong Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Those who refuse to disclose their assets or lie in their reports will be relieved of their posts and be subject to further investigations, according to the statement.

All major Party and government officials in the three designated areas will be audited when they retire or are to be transferred to other departments or places, the statement said.

Liu Liansheng, a senior official from the Guangdong Provincial Party Commission for Discipline Inspection, said departments have also been urged to further improve the system of exposing corruption online, to encourage the public to report corrupt officials.