BEIJING, May 26  -- The intensified battle against corruption in 2013 has helped building political integrity and contributed to the development of democracy, said a government report here Monday.

In 2013 the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government further intensified their efforts to combat corruption, said a report on China's human rights in 2013, issued by the State Council Information Office.

They put power, government operations and personnel management under institutional checks to ensure that the people oversee the exercise of power and that power is exercised in a transparent manner, the report said.

"Building political integrity is the premise of the effective operation of a democratic system," the report said.

The central government decentralized and canceled 416 items of administrative approvals in 2013, as part of the institutional reform of the State Council.

The CPC Central Committee issued the Work Plan for Establishing and Improving the System of Preventing and Punishing Corruption (2013-2017).

In 2013 procuratorates at all levels investigated 37,551 graft cases involving 51,306 suspects, up 9.4 percent and 8.4 percent respectively from 2012.

China investigated 2,581 cases of embezzlement, bribery and appropriation of public funds, each involving over 1 million yuan, and 2,871 officials at and above the county level, including eight at the provincial or ministerial level.

Courts also intensified efforts to punish embezzlement and bribery crimes. They closed the trials of 29,000 cases of embezzlement, bribery, dereliction of duty and infringement of rights, and convicted 31,000 people.