Four things to know about the future of Xi's war on corruption

World
Europe

Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC ) Central Committee, promised on Wednesday to achieve a sweeping victory in the war on graft with supervision mechanisms and rule of law.

Delivering a report at the opening session of the 19th CPC National Congress, Xi told over 2,200 Party members that Chinese people “resent corruption the most” and that corruption has become “the greatest threat our country faces."

Xinhua Photo

He warned them to keep clean and be free from corruption.

To reach the goal, he envisioned four aspects in the war on corruption in the next five years.

Xi's pledge to preserve a 'never-ending' fight against corruption

Xinhua Photo

He explained to delegates that the future of the Party is based on public support and that the CPC needs to make sure it resolves the problems that people hate the most – corruption.

"Only when we make sure that officials are honest, the government is clean and political affairs are handled with integrity, can we avoid history's cycle of rise and fall and ensure the CPC's long-term stability," Xi warned.

Corruption is illegal

Xi elaborated that China will pass an anti-corruption law, which will bring offenders at large to justice. Taking bribes and abusing power will be legally binding and through tireless efforts, the political environment will be clean, he promised.

A national supervision committee is needed

Xinhua Photo

The CPC's top anti-graft authority, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), has played a large role in the comprehensive anti-corruption campaign since 2012. The drive has taken down some of the country's top officials and punished over 1.3 million lower-ranking government workers and businessmen.

More checks and oversight are still needed, though.

Xi stressed that power needs to be put in an institutional cage by creating supervisory commissions from the top to the bottom covering the national, provincial, city and county levels.

The supervisory commissions will be working in the same offices closely with the CCDI. A corruption reporting platform will be created where the two bodies can share information on corruption investigation and cases. Xi said these two bodies will make sure the supervision covers everyone who exercises public power.

Besides the institutional mechanism, Xi added that a national supervision law will be introduced, and the supervisory bodies will act in accordance with the law.

More importantly, Xi said the practice of “shuanggui” will be replaced by detention.

"Shuanggui" is the existing practice under which CCDI inspectors can summon and detain an alleged corrupt Party member for questioning at a designated place and time.

Investigators and inspectors will have to act based on the law.

Setting up a central leading group for law-based government

Xinhua Photo

Xi stated that a central leading group will be set up to help build the rule of law in China.

He said he hopes to increase public awareness about the law and foster a culture of the rule of law.