China continues to wage anti-corruption fight

China will take the initiative to meet new challenges in the fight against corruption, even though it has seen remarkable achievements against graft over the past decade, officials said.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, "we've always maintained a high-pressure posture against corruption, no matter which region or field and whether those were retired or not," Wang Jianxin, an official from the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC and the National Supervisory Commission, said at a news conference on Thursday.

"Those who violated discipline and law were strictly held accountable and harshly punished, no matter who they were and how high the positions they held," he said. "We've fulfilled our promise that fighting corruption is by no means an empty word."

In the past 10 years, efforts in anti-graft combat have been strengthened with "zero tolerance" and through various means, he said, adding a relatively completed system of intra-Party rules and a legal system against corruption have been formed, with all Party members and public officers placed under strong supervision.

From the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012 to the end of April, about 4.71 million people were investigated for suspected violation of discipline and law, he said.

Some 74,000 people have also voluntarily turned themselves in to discipline inspection and supervision commissions nationwide since the 19th CPC National Congress in 2017, he added.

Some corrupt officials were top leaders and those serving in major positions in local Party and government departments. Considering their crucial role, the Party has intensified supervision over such people, ensuring they exercise power for the people and in a legal manner, according to Tian Peiyan, deputy head of the Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee.

He told media the Party leadership issued a guideline on supervising leading officials last year, calling for the public to jointly supervise them at the same time.

Efforts against corruption in some major fields have also been increased in the past decade.

Wang said discipline inspection and supervision commissions across the country have continuously combated corruption in industries involving people's livelihood, such as education, healthcare, social insurance, environment protection and food and drug safety.

He added 456,000 people in these industries were punished for corruption and disciplinary violations between the 19th CPC National Congress in 2017 and the end of April.

Additionally, anti-corruption's role in lifting poverty and revitalizing villages was not diminished. Discipline inspection and supervision authorities conducted a three-year campaign against graft in this field, discovering 280,000 instances of corruption and punishing 188,000 people, he said.

Since the beginning of this year, 11,000 people engaged in village revitalization have been punished for corruption, he added.