ZHENGZHOU, March 18 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the country's village officials to make "spicy" efforts to "sweat" corruption out of their systems as he stressed the role of rural development in the rule of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

"The weapons of criticism and self-criticism should be well-wielded, with some spice to make every Party official blush and sweat a little," Xi said during an inspection in Lankao County in central China's Henan Province from Monday to Tuesday.

As part of the ongoing second round of a CPC campaign to deter malpractice and harmful work styles, each of the seven members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee is allocated a county to supervise its progress. Xi has been paired with Lankao.

During the campaign, Party officials are required to check and report their own problems and mistakes while summarizing the flaws of their colleagues to disciplinary supervisors.

Xi noted that rural areas are the foundation of the CPC's governance and are crucial to the Party's guidance and policies, demanding quality and competence from grassroots officials to boost rural development.

The president urged Party officials to "maintain a balance between kindness and principles" when handling connections, telling them to reduce unnecessary social activities and keep healthy work and life styles.