Draft law looks to more severely punish those who bribe officials

China plans to increase the punishment for those who bribe officials by amending the Criminal Law to advance the country's fight against corruption, a senior legislator said.

The draft criminal law amendment was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, on Tuesday for first review.

In general, a draft will become law after being read by the NPC Standing Committee three times.

"Revising the law is meant to meet anti-corruption demands, as well as to implement the central leadership's requirement on strengthening investigations of bribe-givers while dealing with those who accept bribes," Shen Chunyao, head of the NPC Standing Committee's Legislative Affairs Commission, said while explaining the draft to lawmakers.

He confirmed that the number of cases involving those who give bribes is much smaller than the figure involving those who accept them, adding that the proportion of bribe-givers who are not held criminally liable is too high.

"The soft punishment is not conducive to cutting off the chain of bribery, so the law needs to be amended by clarifying some serious circumstances of giving bribes," he said.

The draft specifies six situations in which bribe-givers should be severely penalized, including offering bribes repeatedly or to multiple people.

It also states that those who offer bribes to gain benefits from important construction projects or those related to the environmental, finance, social insurance, security, food, drug, disaster relief, education or healthcare sectors will also be severely punished.

In addition, the draft highlights the significance of protecting the legitimate rights and interests of private enterprises, in an effort to meet the central leadership's drive to promote the development of private companies, Shen said.

Under the draft, employees of private enterprises who intentionally harm company interests and cause huge financial losses should be held criminally liable.

"The content will help private companies prevent and combat internal corruption," Shen said.

In January, the top discipline watchdog of the Communist Party of China in its communique stressed intensified punishment for those who commit bribery to foster and promote a better atmosphere of upholding integrity and resisting corruption.

Data disclosed at the 20th CPC National Congress, which was held in Beijing in October, also showed that some 100,000 people who offered bribes have been placed under investigation over the past decade.

The report to the 20th CPC National Congress also required discipline authorities nationwide to punish both bribe takers and givers and combat new and disguised forms of corruption.