Pledges of ruthlessness towards corruption have become commonplace in official rhetoric over the years.

But when the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee reiterated its commitment to regulating its own ranks on Monday, it sounded more convincing than ever.

The fall of the CPC Shanghai Secretary Chen Liangyu, who was also a member of the Party's Political Bureau, served up a sharp rejoinder to suspicions that the scalpel against corruption may never be used against those ranking really high.

And the constant feed of news about disgraced high officials, some almost Chen's level, in corruption scandals has added to the evidence of the CPC leadership's resolve of stricter self-discipline.

But, as the CPC Political Bureau observed on Monday, the force of inner-Party disciplinary moves is yet to match that of pandemic corruption.

Corruption remains serious in some areas, and the fight against it will prove a challenging long-term task full of complexities, it concluded.

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' (CASS) annual bluebook on the social situation, a key barometer of mass opinion whose release coincided with the CPC leadership gathering, corroborated such a judgment.

Corruption ranked fourth on the list of public concerns, following worries about medical expenses, jobs and income inequality.

Throughout 2006, there was popular reference to poor and expensive medical services, exorbitant educational expenses, and income disparity as the "three new mountains" on the back of the average citizen.

Insecurity about pension guarantees heightened by the notorious embezzlement scandal involving Chen Liangyu and talk about inadequate State pension funds was another much-talked-about topic.

That corruption finally outweighed anxieties over pension and education and remained in the top-four, a place it has been rooted firmly over the years, is thought-provoking.

It is somewhat unusual for people to care more about a matter that appears much less relevant than such issues as the lack of reliable guarantees for old-age welfare and having to pay more for their children's schooling.

Putting a matter mainly of official conduct above those of immediate individual interest, respondents in CASS surveys made an important statement that corruption has not diminished in prominence as a threat to public morale in spite of all the new anxieties.

So the CPC leadership's renewed commitment to its old promise of thorough house-cleaning is more than necessary.

It swore to "combine punishment with prevention, with the focus on prevention."

The aim, it said, is to tackle corruption at its very roots.

That sounds sensible enough. The intentions are impeccable; the rest depends on action.

(China Daily 12/27/2006 page4)