A senior official has called for more efforts to bust major commercial bribery cases.

"Serious blows and severe punishments are a must if we are to prevent the spread of commercial bribery," said He Yong, head of an anti-bribery group, at a meeting Thursday.

"A heavy crackdown on major commercial bribery cases is needed to win the trust of the public," he said.

He, who is also deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, pointed to major construction projects, land transfers, property transactions, pharmaceutical sales and government procurement contracts as some of the areas that needed careful scrutiny.

He said cases that are solved should be publicized to deter criminals and dissuade officials and business executives from engaging in illicit activity.

"We need an effective long-term mechanism to combat commercial bribery," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency November 24, 2006)