National Supervisory Commission gets official start in anti-graft fight

China’s National Supervisory Commission was inaugurated in a ceremony in Beijing on Friday. The new entity was created to prevent corruption by better overseeing staff members of public offices, including government organs and members of the Communist Party of China.

As part of China’s supervisory system reform, the commission will integrate the functions of current supervision authorities and corruption prevention agencies. It also will integrate the departments at procuratorates for handling bribery and dereliction of duty cases or preventing duty-related crimes.

The newly appointed deputy directors and members of the commission took an oath of allegiance to China’s Constitution at the ceremony, which was hosted by Yang Xiaodu, director of the commission.

Zhao Leji, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, attended the ceremony. The commission will work side by side with the CCDI to push forward a deep integration of functions and human resources.

Zhao urged discipline officers of the CCDI and the commission to be prudent in exercising their power and strict in self-discipline.

He also called on the officers to faithfully perform their duties as stipulated in the CPC Constitution, China’s Constitution and the Supervision Law to secure a sweeping victory in the fight against corruption.

The establishment of the commission and the recent adoption of the Supervision Law show that a supervisory system with Chinese characteristics has been formed, Zhao said.

China’s top legislature adopted the country’s first law on national supervision on Tuesday, offering a legal basis for a centralized, unified, authoritative and efficient supervisory network. Yang was elected the first director of the commission at the legislative session.

The new law, considered an essential part of China’s reform of supervisory institutions, is expected to serve as a fundamental and guiding law against corruption and for State supervision.

Under the law, new supervisory commissions will be established at the national, provincial, city and county levels. They will oversee all staff members of public offices, such as in Party organs, legislatures, governments, courts, procuratorates and political advisory bodies, as well as executives of Stateowned enterprises and teachers in public schools.