China vows endless war on graft

CHINA’S top disciplinary body yesterday adopted a communique vowing unremitting efforts to improve Party conduct, build clean government and fight corruption to ensure implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025).

The communique was adopted at the fifth plenary session of the 19th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China, held in Beijing from Friday to yesterday.

The session reviewed the CCDI’s progress in 2020 and laid out its tasks for 2021. It said XI’s speech provides important guidance to further enforce full, rigorous selfdiscipline.

In 2020, major achievements were made in various areas of the Party and state under the leadership of the Central Committee with Xi at the core, demonstrating the strengths of the Party leadership and socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The CCDI, the National Supervisory Commission, and local discipline inspection commissions and supervisory agencies at all levels have faithfully performed their duties in fighting against COVID-19, securing a decisive victory in finishing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and shaking off poverty while promoting high-quality development of the disciplinary inspection and supervision work, it noted.

For 2021, efforts should be made to ensure that officials “don’t dare to, are unable to and have no desire to commit acts of corruption,” and to deepen the reform of discipline inspection and supervision systems. An eight-point list of requirements was put forward by the session:

— Uphold Xi’s position as the core of the CPC Central Committee and the whole Party, as well as the authority of the Committee and its centralized, unified leadership to ensure the smooth implementation of the 14th Five-Year Plan;

— Deepen the anti-corruption campaign and advance the system under which officials “don’t dare to, are unable to and have no desire to commit acts of corruption,” and investigate cases in which political and economic issues are intertwined;

— Beef up the fight against deep-rooted practices of formalities for formalities’ sake; curb hedonism and extravagance; supervise regulations on doing business by leading officials’ spouses, children, and their children’s spouses;

— Address corruption and misconduct on the people’s doorsteps to promote social fairness and justice and safeguard the rights and interests of the people;

— Improve coordination in disciplinary inspections, giving full play to intraparty supervision and public oversight;

— Integrate various forms of supervision and improve the effectiveness of supervision and governance, including strengthening oversight of leading bodies and their heads;

— Deepen reform of discipline inspection and supervision and promote intraparty and state supervision;

— Conduct strict self-supervision and self-discipline and build a loyal, clean, professional anti-graft team with a strong sense of political integrity and responsibility.