The Communist Party of China (CPC) has vowed to step up investigations into corruption involving cadres who colluded with traders for personal gains or deal between power and money.

A communique released Wednesday at the end of a three-day plenary session of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) also warned that efforts to prosecute cadres who accepted bribes would be stepped up.

The principle that everyone is equal before the law must be enforced and no corrupt official should be able to escape punishment under the law, the communique said.

The crackdown on corruption in 2009 will also focus on cases involving food and work safety, environmental protection, land use, oil prices, use of government special funds and other issues of public concern, it said.

The third plenary session of the 17th CCDI outlined the anti-corruption work for 2009.

The CPC will step up efforts to build an anti-corruption system that pays attention to both prevention and punishment, to further gain trust from the public and ensure stability and development, the communique said.

Education on eradicating corruption and upholding integrity should be incorporated into the train agenda of Party officials, said the communique.

The self-discipline organs should fight all forms of corruption and illegalities, it said.

The CCDI warned officials against unacceptable practices, including accepting cash or financial instruments as gifts, occupying apartments not in accordance with their rank, and allowing spouses or children to take advantage of their influence for illicit gain on the stock market or in business.

The crackdown will also focus on officials who seek to profit from involvement in construction contracts, the communique said.

Officials are banned from seeking profits for their "special concerned persons" through use of social connections with other officials, according to the communique.

The CPC would extend its campaign to strengthen supervision over government-paid trips aboard, restricting expenses, trip members and numbers of trips, it said.

The authorities banned almost 4,000 Party and government officials from joining more than 550 publicly-funded overseas trips in the six months to the end of November last year, figures from the CCDI showed.

In total, 830,000 official passport-holders went abroad in that period, down 18.9 percent year on year.

Commission members agreed that supervision and inspection will be launched to ensure all the decisions and policies made by the CPC Central Committee and the scientific outlook on development are carefully implemented.

Inspection on the implementation of policies concerning expanding domestic demand, protection of arable land, land and resource conservation,environmental protection, as well as use of disaster relief funds should be stepped up, they agreed.

Officials should improve their work style and build close relations with the people. Relevant inspection and supervision would be carried out accordingly to rectify officials' defects, such as those who turned a blind eye to people's difficulties.

Officials should increase economic awareness to frugally conduct all undertakings. Those who do great harm to the interests of the country, the public, or the citizen's rights would be severely punished, said the communique.

Party committees at all levels should deepen the reform in crucial fields and key phases. Regulating officials' power, improving the market system and strengthening supervision and punishment should be integrated during the reform and innovation, it said.

The evaluation of officials should be improved in accordance with the Scientific Outlook on Development and items subjected for administrative approval should be reduced.

Relevant organs should also deepen the reform in fiscal charges, investment system and state-owned companies. The National Bureau of Corruption Prevention should be fully effective.

The supervision of work of government officials, especially those at high level, should be strengthened, regulating them to wield power reasonably. Officials should visit subordinate departments and communities more often to get a clearer understanding of grassroots work.

Government at all levels should conduct their work in a more transparent and open way. Administrative supervision should be strengthened in three aspects: law execution, anti-corruption and working results.

The building of a clean Party at basic levels should be strengthened in rural areas, state-owned companies and financial organizations, colleges and universities and communities in urban areas.

Statistics from the CCDI showed that 4,960 officials above county head level were penalized nationwide during the year ending last November. Of those, 801 have been prosecuted.

The officials were involved in corruption, commercial bribery, harming the public interest and other disciplinary or illegal activities.

(Xinhua News Agency January 15, 2009)