Phoenix TV:

The report to the 20th CPC National Congress clearly requires us to win the tough and protracted battle against corruption. How are you planning to secure more institutional achievements and improve efficiency in fighting corruption by taking simultaneous, coordinated, and comprehensive steps to ensure that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity, or desire to become corrupt?

Wang Jianxin:

Thank you for your question. I will take this question.

Exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance is a great practice of the Party's self-reform in the new era, and the fight against corruption is a key battle in this effort. After the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech for the first time at a plenary session of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), which was the second plenary session of the 18th CCDI. He stressed that unwaveringly fighting against corruption demonstrates the Party's strength, and there is no exception before the law and Party discipline, no matter who might be involved, and we shall show no mercy to corruption and conduct full investigations. In the past decade, with the resolution to "offend a few thousand rather than fail 1.4 billion," the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has waged a battle against corruption on a scale unprecedented in our history. Discipline inspection and supervision organs nationwide have filed 4.648 million cases for investigation and prosecution, which involved 553 officials registered at and supervised by the CPC Central Committee. A total of 4.573 million individuals received punishments as a result. Through the resolute battle, the spread of corruption has been effectively curbed. An overwhelming victory has been won in the anti-corruption campaign, and the success has been consolidated. Simultaneous, coordinated, and comprehensive steps have been taken to ensure that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity, or desire to become corrupt. The CPC has successfully embarked on an anti-corruption path with Chinese characteristics. The CPC has tempered itself through revolution on a large scale and in a profound way, and thus the CPC is able to take the historical initiative to maintain its progressive nature and integrity. 

In the past 10 years of the new era, the fight against corruption has been tremendous, and the world has marveled at our achievements. However, we are also keenly aware that we still face a grave and intricate situation in the fight against corruption. Fighting corruption is a war with life-and-death consequences. We can only move forward and never retreat. We can only win and never lose. Therefore, we must resolutely implement the strategic plan of the 20th CPC National Congress, always maintain a tough stance against corruption, and continue to take simultaneous, coordinated, and comprehensive steps to ensure that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity, or desire to become corrupt. Just as the report to the 20th CPC National Congress stresses, we are determined to win the tough and protracted battle against corruption.

First, we will improve the accountability system for the Party to lead the fight against corruption. We will uphold Party leadership in the whole process of taking simultaneous, coordinated, and comprehensive steps to ensure that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity, or desire to become corrupt. 

We will ensure that leadership and oversight responsibilities for full and rigorous Party self-governance are assumed. We will give full play to the role of political supervision, education, and organizational management, conduct regulation, discipline enforcement, and system improvement in waging an all-out war of preventing and combating corruption.  

Second, we will continue to show zero tolerance in opposing corruption and punishing wrongdoing. We will keep sounding the bugle in our fight against corruption. We will investigate and deal with corruption that involves both political and economic elements, resolutely prevent officials in leadership positions from acting for any interest group or power group, and crack down on any collusion between officials and businesspeople that undermines the political ecosystem or economic development. We will never let the power given by the Party and the people become a tool of a few people to seek profit.

Third, we will improve the systems for preventing corruption from being fostered and spreading. To address both the symptoms and root causes of corruption, we will improve the systems and mechanisms for overseeing power and managing officials, and improve the performance assessment and evaluation system for officials. We will specify the responsibilities and scope of power for officials who hold key positions in areas such as policy making, decision-making procedures, approval and supervision, law enforcement, and the judiciary, and strengthen checks on power. While investigating and punishing violations of discipline and the law, we will also seek to identify problems, strengthen rectification, deepen reforms, and improve systems, so as to enhance the efficiency in fighting corruption.

Fourth, we will improve the total-coverage, authoritative, and highly effective oversight system under the Party's unified leadership, and continue to deepen the reform of the oversight system of the Party and the country. We will create synergy between various forms of oversight with intra-party oversight serving as the mainstay, remove impediments to the formation of synergy, and ensure the full coverage and effectiveness of power oversight.

Fifth, we will refine the effective and practical approaches to fighting corruption in a coordinated way. We will ensure the internal connection of measures to ensure that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity, or desire to become corrupt, and develop an effective vehicle to integrate these measures, so as to closely coordinate harsh punishment, the regulation on the exercise of power, and education and guidance, and give better play to the leading role of beliefs and convictions. This will ensure that Party members enhance their Party consciousness, promote a culture of integrity, and bolster their resistance to corruption and moral decline. Thank you.