The Communist Party of China (CPC) bears zero tolerance to corruption and the crackdown on it must be effectively strengthened, Hu Jintao said on Monday in his report to the 17th CPC National Congress.

"The CPC never tolerates corruption or any other negative phenomena," said Hu on behalf of the 16th CPC Central Committee, stressing that "resolutely punishing and effectively preventing corruption is crucial to the popular support for the Party and its survival."

Pointing out that fighting corruption will be a protracted, complicated and arduous battle, Hu called upon Party members to carry out the campaign in a comprehensive way, addressing both its symptoms and root cause and combining punishment with prevention.

Resolutely cracking down on corruption, the Party should work harder to remove its root cause and take preventive measures through improving relevant institutions, Hu said.

Since 2002 when the 16th CPC National Congress was convened, the Party has punished a large number of high-ranking officials, including former Shanghai Party Chief Chen Liangyu and China's former top statistician Qiu Xiaohua.

Statistics show that more than 110,000 Party members were punished in 2005, accounting for 0.16 percent of all members. The number of being punished dropped to some 90,000 last year, about 0.14 percent of the total members.

Founded in 1921, the Party has governed the country for 58 years since 1949, and its current membership totals more than 70 million.

Saying that "the task of educating and managing its members has become more arduous than ever before," Hu expressed the confidence in fulfilling the three historical tasks of advancing the modernization drive, achieving national reunification, and safeguarding world peace and promoting common development.

(Xinhua News Agency October 15, 2007)