Leaders: Use rule of law in gang fight

China's latest campaign against gang-related crimes will prioritize targeting officials who serve as "protective umbrellas" and gangsters at the grassroots level, which experts said will play a key role in consolidating the country's political power particularly at the local level.

The emphasis on laws, facts, evidence and procedures while carrying out the campaign, as has been ordered by the central leadership, will also help reduce the chance of prosecuting the wrong cases, experts said.

The Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council jointly released a document on Jan 24 starting a new round in the campaign against gangs and other crime organizations.