Draft gives anti-graft fight a shot in the arm

The draft of a national supervision law was submitted to the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, for review at its session late last month. The legislation is aimed at building a unified, authoritative and efficient supervision system.

A pilot program for the national institutional supervision system has been implemented in Beijing, and Shanxi and Zhejiang provinces, and supervisory commissions at three levels - provincial, municipal and county - are already in place to monitor all public office holders.

As an institutional innovation mechanism in the nationwide anti-corruption campaign, the pilot program makes clear these commissions' supervisory role and their obligation to combat corruption. The new commissions are expected to be independent of the government, the court and the procuratorate, and the job of its staff members, appointed and supervised by the top legislature and its local branches, will include that of the supervisory officials affiliated to the government, the procuratorate and administrative audit organs which scrutinize those assuming and leaving office.