Premier Wen Jiabao said in Beijing Sunday that the Chinese government will take it as one of its most essential tasks to further step up the fight against corruption in his tenure of office, as it is a "life-or-death" issue for the destiny of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government.

Premier Wen made the remark at a press conference with a group of Chinese and foreign journalists who covered the just-ended annual session of the National People's Congress.  

"My colleagues and I are willing to be subjected under the supervision by people," Wen made the pledge in response to a question concerning the conviction of a batch of provincial-level officials over corruption charges last year.

The government will take three steps to further carry out the anti-corruption drive, Wen said, acknowledging that China will install educational and supervisional rules and regulations to prevent and fight corruption, resolutely punish corrupt officials, halt unethical practices in the public administration, and do well the work closely relating to the interests of the people.

Wen also reminded the people of late Chairman Mao Zedong's admonitions six decades ago to the whole Party not to follow suit of some peasant uprising leaders in the Chinese history who turned corrupted once they were in power.

"In the past 60 years, many comrades of our Party have stood the test, and there have also been some who didn't and became victimized by 'sugar-coated bullets,'" Premier Wen said. 

(Xinhua News Agency March 14, 2004)