China Focus: China resolute in zero-tolerance anti-corruption battle

BEIJING, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- A year ago, the second plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) highlighted the Party's determination to win the long and arduous fight against corruption, pledging "more forceful action to both prevent new cases and root out existing ones."

This forceful action has been conducted through tough measures, with concrete results seen in the past year.

In the first nine months of 2023, Chinese discipline inspection and supervision agencies filed around 470,000 cases, and 405,000 individuals were punished for misconduct, including 34 officials at the provincial and ministerial level.

From primary-level officials to the higher ranks, in sectors ranging from finance to education, the CPC shows zero tolerance for corruption in any form.

STRICT TONE

Released in December 2023, the newly revised regulations on the CPC's disciplinary action, the third revision since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, has added the principle of "upholding a strict tone, strict measures and strict atmosphere in the long term."

"Strict" is the keyword for the CPC's crackdown on corruption, which has been further toughened over the past year.

At the very beginning of 2023, the CCDI and the National Commission of Supervision (NCS) announced investigations into three officials registered at and supervised by the CPC Central Committee; by the end of the year, the top disciplinary watchdog had announced investigations into a total of 45 such high-ranking officials, the largest number in the past decade.

Apart from incumbents, investigations have also been launched into retired or resigned officials, including those who attempted to evade investigation by resigning, who exercised the influence they gained from their former posts to benefit others and took bribes in return, and who sought profits for others while in office and have taken bribes since retirement. No corrupt official is to be left out.

To eliminate the chance of officials becoming corrupt, the strict discipline inspection and supervision has also expanded to those who offer bribes. In July 2023, the CCDI and the NCS first mentioned the number of bribe-givers who had cases filed against them in the first half of the year.

From January to September 2023, discipline inspection and supervision agencies filed cases against 12,000 bribe-givers, while 2,365 individuals were transferred to procuratorates for giving bribes.

SWATTING "FLIES"

At a meeting held by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in December 2023, the anti-corruption work arrangement emphasized the "rigorous investigation and strict punishment" of corrupt low-ranking officials. The report to the 20th CPC National Congress called them "flies" as their misconduct might be relatively minor but it directly affects people's lives and damages their faith in the Party.

The anti-corruption work will be further expanded to the primary level, with harsh punishments for misconduct including embezzlement, illegal possession and misappropriation, as well as creating obstacles to solicit bribes, according to a five-year work plan of the Central Anti-Corruption Coordination Group from 2023 to 2027.

In the first three quarters of 2023, cases were filed by disciplinary inspection and supervision organs against 65,000 township- and section-level officials as well as 46,000 incumbent or former Party chiefs of villages or heads of villagers' committees, with 54,000 township- and section-level officials punished.

Disciplinary organs have expanded approaches to integrate and coordinate disciplinary inspections and supervision with auditorial oversight, targeting corruption that concerns people's livelihoods or hampers the implementation of policies.

SELF-REFORM

The report to the 20th CPC National Congress stressed "improving the systems and regulations for the Party's self-reform," further mapping out the blueprint of advancing Party building in the new era.

Through 2023, multi-dimensional efforts were made in this regard.

A systematic, collaborative and effective mechanism for discipline inspection and supervision work was further built up, with the coordination of different types of supervision further normalized and institutionalized, and the Supervisors Law further implemented.

The Party and state oversight system was further improved, as discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels strived to make their supervision more coordinated and effective, in line with the requirement for improving the total-coverage, authoritative and highly effective oversight system under the Party's unified leadership.

A total of 18 primary-level discipline inspection and supervision organs were also designated as the first batch of liaison points for the work on regulations on discipline inspection and supervision last year. They will hear suggestions about the regulations and instruct grassroots discipline inspection and supervision agencies on learning and using the regulations.

This will help integrate disciplinary organs at all levels to boost the high-quality development of the system of regulations on discipline inspection and supervision, according to the law and regulations office of the CCDI and the NCS.