I-5 Question: Despite the Chinese Government's anti-corruption efforts, corruption cases involving government officials have been cropping up from time to time in recent years. Does it have anything to do with China's social system? What actions will China take to prevent corruption among officials?

A: Corruption exists and even runs rife in many non-socialist countries. So, the corruption problem in China should not be attributed to its social system. Actually, how to resolve the problem is a common task facing countries across the world.

Under the leadership of the CPC, China has achieved remarkable progress in its anti-corruption campaign by tapping the full potential of socialism. Statistics show that the number of cases involving economic issues and corruption investigated by the CPC discipline inspection and government supervision departments is declining year by year. In 2006, the number plummeted 10.9 percent from the pervious year. This is an ample proof that China is putting corruption under control. It is groundless to say that the problem is worsening in China for all its efforts to combat corruption.

Of course, corruption is still severe in some sectors in China, and to uproot the problem is an uphill battle. The reasons for corruption among government officials are varied, the most important one being that administrative power is too centralized and not subject to effective checks and balances and oversight. To address these concerns, the following steps are being taken:

First, China is stepping up the reform of the political system to lessen the centralization of power and reduce the number of matters subject to administrative approval. It also promotes openness in CPC and government affairs, business governance and village management. While carrying out the examination and approval procedures, especially for matters that bear on the people's interests, the administrative authorities are expected to uphold the principles of openness, fairness and transparency. Also, measures should be taken to ensure that the supervision mechanism works more effectively so that the public's scrutiny of the government can be strengthened.

Second, equal emphasis is placed on education and penalty. While educating the officials about honesty and integrity, the government takes a tough stance on cases involving economic issues and corruption, adopting measures to uncover high-ranking officials'abuse of power by examining their housing, cars and investment in securities.

Third, international anti-corruption cooperation is enhanced. To date, China has established cooperative ties with supervision departments of over 70 countries and regions. It has promised to fulfill its obligations prescribed in the UN Convention Against Corruption. Adapting the practices proven effective in other countries, it has decided to establish a state-level anti-corruption agency to further strengthen the efforts to prevent corruption among government officials.

(China.org.cn)