China is to start a two-year inspection campaign of construction businesses in a bid to curb "serious" corruption and malpractice, a senior anti-graft official said Friday.

He Yong, deputy secretary of Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), said all regions should reduce the high incidence of corruption in the construction sector.

Through cracking down on monopolization, the CCDI would implement the open and fair competition principle, he said.

During the campaign, all regions would improve management and supervision in the industry and try to close loopholes that led to power-for-money deals and abuses of power, he said.

A nearly-completed 13-story building in Shanghai collapsed on June 27, killing a worker. The incident has aroused great controversy and also doubt about the quality of construction work nationwide.

(Xinhua News Agency August 14, 2009)