Guo Weimin:

Thanks Mr. Wu. Now you may start to ask your questions.

CCTV:

As we know, the seventh plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has deliberated and passed Regulations on Supervision and Discipline Enforcement of CPC Discipline Inspection Agencies (Trial). May I ask Mr. Wu why such regulations were made? Is it to prevent corruption in the discipline department? And the second question is why such regulations were put into such a high-level plenary session to be passed? Thank you.

Wu Yuliang:

The goal to make such regulations, just like the title of the popular TV documentary series broadcast days ago, "To Forge An Iron, One Must Be Strong Oneself," is to prevent corruption in the discipline department. We especially made rules regarding the most central power of supervision and discipline enforcement of the discipline department, proposing stricter requirements and tightening restrictions in the system.

As for why we discussed and passed the regulations, they are an indication of the spirit of the sixth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee. The theme of the sixth plenary session was to comprehensively and strictly govern the Party, as it also passed Norms of Political Life Within the Party Under the New Situation and the Regulations on Supervision Within the Party. So when the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection passed the regulations this time, it indicated that the power of the commission is also strictly supervised while the officials and cadres of the department are restrained by strict discipline. It shows our determination to build a strong anti-graft army. Thank you.

Asahi Shimbun:

I'm interested in the national supervisory commission. Will the state supervisory body have the same authority as state organs such as NPC and the Central government? Someone said it will surpass the authority of the government, so how should we understand the relationship between it and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection? What is the purpose of having such a government organ? What main functions will it have? Thanks.

Xiao Pei:

Deepening national supervisory system reform and starting pilot plans in Beijing, Shanxi Province and Zhejiang Province are actually the same thing. This was a significant decision and strategic deployment made by the CPC Central Committee. After the news came out, it was wholeheartedly supported by the public.

President Xi Jinping had given the national supervisory commission a very clear and accurate definition: It is China's anti-graft organ.

To establish the national supervisory commission, including setting up supervisory commissions at national, provincial, municipal and county levels, is very significant political system reform. So establishing the national supervisory commission has the significance as you referred to in the first question. The purpose of setting up pilot areas is to get experience out of trial runs. This is to answer your first question.

For the second question, you mentioned authority and purpose. The fundamental purpose in deepening national supervisory system reform is to strengthen the centralized and unified leadership for the Party in its anti-graft works and integrate the functions of anti-bribery, anti-corruption, anti-negligence and anti-duty-related-crimes together, which were scattered in the Ministry of Supervision, the National Bureau of Corruption Prevention and various prosecuting departments, in order to form a new national supervisory organ in the pilot areas. This supervision will cover all civil servants who have public power.

What's the relationship between it and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection? It operates with the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Actually, it is the same crew but has two names. Its duties are to execute self-supervision on the Party and the country's government. It is the national supervisory commission's duties to supervise, to investigate and to deal with corruption. Thanks.

South China Morning Post:

Mr. Wu, during Wang Qishan's visit to Jiangsu last year, he mentioned discipline inspection commissions at all levels should also be under supervision of public opinion. My question is: so far, what has been done to realize this? Thank you.

Wu Yuliang:

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, we have taken a series of measures to strengthen self-discipline following the requirements of General Secretary Xi Jinping. For instance, personnel of discipline inspection commissionsat all levels took the lead to hand in all kinds of membership cards they had accepted as gifts over time, and all those violating the eight-point rulesreceived public exposure. In addition, the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the commissions at provincial, autonomous regional and municipal levels have set up supervisory organs for"house cleaning" andtaken resolute steps to ensure a trustworthy disciplinary teamis in place.

Phoenix TV:

The 19th CPC National Congress will convenelater this year and it's been said that the anti-corruption drive wouldbe eased for stability. What's your opinion about that?

Luo Dongchuan:

During the seventh plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Commissionfor Discipline Inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping observed that crushing momentumagainst graft has taken shape, while the anti-corruption struggle remains serious and complex. Hence, we need to maintain the momentum to eradicate corruption, the lethal"source of pollution," follow the requirements of the CPC Central Committee and win the struggle against corruption, which is of vital importance to the ruling party. Thank you.

People's Daily:

According to thecommuniqués of the plenary sessions of the CCDI in recent years, we've noticed the descriptions about the situation regarding the anti-corruption struggle have changed from a seesaw battle to gaining crushing momentum. Now,crushing momentum has taken shape. My question is: On what grounds do we say the momentum has "taken shape?" Thank you.

Xiao Pei:

During the just-concluded seventh plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Commissionfor Discipline Inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping said we would rather offend hundreds of corrupt officials than let 1.3 billion Chinese people down. What is this so-called crushing momentum? Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CCDI has investigated a total of 240 centrally-administered officials, 3.6 times the figure recorded during the period of 2007-2012 (the 17th CPC National Congress was held in 2007). This especially involved handling the cases of severe violations of law and discipline committed by Zhou Yongkang, Bo Xilai, GuoBoxiong, XuCaihou and Ling Jihua. We seriously investigated and punished political and economic corruption intermingled with benefit transmission and eliminated hidden dangers for our Party and country.

Now, please allow me to quote some figures. We managed to achieve a "drop" and a "rise." The "drop" refers to the number of accusatory and prosecutable cases disciplinary authorities have accepted. Compared with 2015, the number of such cases in 2016 was down 17.5 percent. This is also the first time the number dropped since the 18th CPC National Congress. The "rise" refers to the number of Party members investigated and punished. In 2012, there were about 85 million Party members, and we handled about 155,000 disciplinary cases in which about 161,000 Party members were punished. At the end of 2016, the Party had a membership of more than 88 million, and we handled 413,000 disciplinary cases in which 415,000 Party members were punished. With the total number of Party members rising, we have punished more Party members, the number rising from a rate of 1.8 to 4.3 per 1,000 people.

In the vigorous anti-graft campaign in 2016, about 57,000 Party members made confessions to their Party organs. That's crushing momentum.

Therefore, we have achieved great success in running the Party with strict discipline, improving members' conduct and fighting corruption, thus increasing people's confidence and trust in the CPC Central Committeeas well as reliance on it and laying a solid political foundation for the Party's continued rule. That's a significant political achievement made by the 18th CPC Central Committee.