2017年CRI More efforts to target new trends in corruption

Over the past year, the Chinese authorities have tried over 40 former officials at provincial 1 level or above, handing out sentences to 35 of them.

Meanwhile, nearly 1,000 cases of corruption 3 or malpractice by party or government officials were exposed by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection 4.

And just ahead of the new year, the CPC leadership vowed 5 to continue to reduce existing corruption while containing any rise in malpractice.

Xin Ming with the Party School of the CPC says, after four years of cracking down on the so called 'Tigers and Flies' - powerful leaders and lowly bureaucrats 6 - the ruling party now faces new challenges.

"This year, efforts will be made to address new trends in corruption. Measures will be taken to prevent small violations 7 from becoming severe crimes. Generally speaking, we may not find as many corrupt 2 tigers as we did in past years, but it doesn't mean we give less emphasis to it. It's indeed that our anti-corruption move has paid off - an outcome that everyone can see."

China has been stepping up its anti-corruption efforts since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012. While cracking down on corrupt officials at both senior and grassroots levels, it sets great store by establishing stricter and complete systems to enshrine powers within a cage of regulations.

Last year, more than 50 intra-party laws were either released or revised, including the 'norms of the Party political life under new circumstances', and 'a regulation on intra-Party supervision 8'.

Xin Ming says efforts in this regard should continue to be strengthened this year.

"More attention will be paid to improving intra-party laws in terms of party organization, leadership, self-construction and supervision to further tighten 9 the net of justice. Certainly, the institutional construction must be conducted in a scientific manner to ensure different regulations can coordinate 10 well."

Meanwhile, a pilot program reforming China's supervisory system is currently underway in Beijing, Shanxi and Zhejiang, aiming to strengthen the crackdown on graft 11.

Ren Miaoqing with the party's discipline agency says progress is in sight.

"In the next step, under the guidance of the top legislature, we will complete establishing supervisory commissions at provincial, municipal and county levels in the pilot regions and integrate the anti-corruption arms of different government departments in the middle of the year. We will also join hands with the National People's Congress to establish a national law of supervision to institutionalize our reform outcomes."

The Communist Party of China has been trying to build an environment where officials dare not, will not and cannot be corrupt.

But many experts also suggest sound implementation 12 of its regulations and reform outcomes should always be what the party emphasizes most.

For CRI, this is Guan Chao.