(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-01-17 07:07

BEIJING -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) has warned that cadres who take advantage of their positions to do insider trades on the stock market or allow their spouses or children to take advantage of their influence in business face stepped-up anti-corruption efforts.

A communique released on Wednesday at the end of a three-day plenary session of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) also warned officials against several other unhealthy practices.

These include accepting cash or financial instruments as gifts, taking gifts at occasions such as weddings and funerals, occupying extra apartments and circumventing the rules to buy affordable housing intended for low- and medium-income earners.

The crackdown on corruption in 2008 will also focus on officials who seek to profit from involvement in construction bids, land sales, trading of property rights and government procurement, the communique said.

Officials who buy or sell official posts or use social connections with upper-level officials to solicit promotions, and those who offer bribes during elections, will be severely punished, according to the communique.

The second plenary session of the 17th CCDI, which ended on Wednesday, outlined the anti-corruption and Party building work for 2008.

The session pointed out that 2008 is the 30th anniversary of China's reform and opening-up drive, the 30th anniversary of the restoration and reestablishment of CPC's discipline watchdogs and the year that Beijing will host the Olympic Games.

Therefore, anti-corruption work is of greater significance this year.

The meeting urged discipline watchdogs at all levels to further improve the institutions for punishing and preventing corruption, to continue to make innovation in anti-corruption work, so as to provide a solid foundation for building up a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

According to the meeting, supervision and inspection will be launched to ensure all the decisions and policies made at the 17th CPC National Congress and the scientific outlook on development are carefully implemented.

Officials at various levels who fail to implement orders from central government or disregard bans ordered by central government, will be asked to rectify, so as to ensure CPC Central Committee's decision on market price regulating and control, energy conservation and pollutant discharge reduction, fixed assets investment, land management, real estate market regulation be smoothly implemented, according to the meeting.

Special efforts will also be made to rectify official's malpractice in fields of environmental protection, food and medicine safety, work safety, land appropriation, which common citizens always pay great attention to and voice vehemently, according to the communique.

Supervision will be intensified on the management of social security fund, housing accumulating fund and special fund for poverty and disaster relief, said the communique.

The communique said the high intensity of the fight against corruption will be kept up. Corrupt cases involved leading officials will be focused on. Collusion between officials and business people, trades between power and money, power and eroticism will be severely dealt with. In addition to punishment under the legal code, cadres behaving badly can expect additional punishment ranging from a warning to dismissal from their posts and expulsion from the Party.

Corrupt cases in fields of construction projects, land management, mineral resources exploration and development, as well as corrupt cases in state-owned enterprises, financial institutions and judicial system will be severely punished.

"Fight against commercial briberies will be intensified. The anti-corruption momentum will be maintained and corrupt officials will be severely punished without any leniency," said the communique.

Anti-corruption institutional reform will be deepened. And intra-Party supervision will be strengthened. Supervision over leading officials, especially major leading officials, will be further tightened. Openness of Party affairs and governmental affairs will be pushed forward.

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