China News Service:

We are familiar with the expression "targeting both 'tigers' and 'flies'." Mr. Wang introduced some statistics just now. We would like to know what measures have been taken to combat corruption and correct misconduct, which are strongly complained by the people, to make them feel more equity and justice. Thank you.

Wang Jianxin:

Thanks for your question. The CPC's fundamental purpose is to serve the people wholeheartedly. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has vowed to address all issues the people are strongly concerned about, resolutely correct any behavior that undermines the people's interests, and combat corruption and misconduct that occur on the people's doorsteps. We have tightened discipline, improved Party conduct, and fought corruption to constantly increase people's trust and support for the Party. Let me brief you on four aspects.

First, we have investigated and punished violations that harm the people's interests in areas related to public wellbeing. We have combated "micro corruption" on people's doorsteps, corrected misconduct in education, medical care, elderly care, social security, environmental protection, workplace safety, and food and drug safety, and optimized mechanisms for addressing problems that harm the people's interests. Following the 19th CPC National Congress, a total of 496,000 corruption and misconduct cases in areas related to public wellbeing had been addressed, and 456,000 people received Party disciplinary or administrative penalties as of the end of April this year.

Second, we have resolved prominent problems in poverty alleviation and rural revitalization. Ensuring poverty alleviation is an essential task of political supervision. We have made special efforts to inspect, address corruption, correct misconduct, and carry out special supervision over the transition period to guarantee an effective connection between consolidation and expansion of poverty alleviation achievements and rural revitalization. From 2018 to 2020, during a three-year special initiative to combat corruption and misconduct in poverty alleviation, 280,000 cases were investigated and handled, and 188,000 people received Party disciplinary or administrative penalties. In 2021, 19,000 corruption and misconduct cases related to guaranteeing an effective connection between achievement expansion in poverty alleviation and rural revitalization were handled, and 17,000 people received Party disciplinary or administrative penalties. This year, 11,000 corruption and misconduct cases in rural revitalization were addressed, and 11,000 people received Party disciplinary or administrative penalties.

Third, we have thoroughly investigated gang crime-related corruption and the "protective umbrellas" that shelter gangs. Combating organized crime and rooting out local bullies have been combined with "swatting flies" in the anti-corruption effort, and cracking down on "protective umbrellas" and criminal organizations has been combined with education and rectification in the legal and political teams, including procuratorate, court, public security and justice. We caught mafia-like groups and their "protective umbrellas" and made such work a regular practice. During a campaign to combat organized crime and root out local bullies, 101,000 cases of gang crime-related corruption and their "protective umbrellas" had been handled, 92,000 persons had received Party disciplinary or administrative penalties, and 12,000 of them had been transferred to procuratorial organs as of the end of April this year. In particular, we investigated and dealt with a number of significant cases of gang crime-related corruption and their "protective umbrellas", including Sun Xiaoguo crime case in Yunnan province.

Fourth, we have established and improved a long-term mechanism for primary-level supervision. Solid efforts have been made to promote supervision down to the community level to ensure the people can participate. We have continued to reduce the burden on the primary level, with adequate measures taken to eliminate formalism and bureaucratism, and address problems involving some primary-level officials who fail to do their jobs, behave irresponsibly, or act with indifference and prevarication. We have improved the mechanism to make the initiative aimed at "doing practical things for the people" a regular practice, continuously strengthening people's sense of gain, happiness, and security. Thank you.