Watchdog vows persistent campaign

CCDI says it will further curb spread of corruption with strong measures

The top anti-graft watchdog vows to conduct a persistent campaign to fight corruption during its tenure, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said on Monday.

"Our tenure is limited, but the Party's career is infinite," according to a statement on the CCDI's website. "We should take a long-term perspective and fully perform our duties to uncover more graft cases during the tenure."

According to the CCDI, it will further curb the spread of corruption and tackle the obstacles it faces in the fight against graft, including unclear duties, dispersed authority functions or misconduct for case investigation.

Since November 2012, when the new leadership took office, fighting corruption has become a top priority for the CPC Central Committee, and President Xi Jinping has taken a series of strong measures to combat corrupt officials nationwide.

In addition, the central government has tightened supervision of officials, known as "naked officials", who have sent their spouses and children abroad to invest in businesses and study, and has reduced their chances to be promoted or work in key positions at home.

According to the CCDI, 62 senior corrupt officials, including four State leaders, and more than 500 other corrupt officials and directors from State-owned companies have been placed under investigation for graft issues since November 2012.

Under a widening drive to target corruption, a number of Party or governmental officers in local areas have lost their motivation to behave well and even doubt their future career, which has drawn attention from the public, as well as media at home and abroad.

"The high incidence of corruption is blamed on the deformity of social values and the officials' strong desire for material benefits," said Pi Yijun, a law professor at the China University of Political Science and Law. "Therefore, once they can't use the convenience of their job to gain benefits, they become passive and lazy, even worried that they will be targeted for alleged graft if they undertake too much work."