Preface

Corruption is a socio-historical phenomenon, an inveterate global ailment and an issue of great concern to the general public. It is the firm stance of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese Government to combat corruption and build a clean government.

The CPC and the Chinese Government have been resolutely combating corruption and building a clean government since the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949. Since the adoption of the reform and opening-up policy some 30 years ago, especially since the beginning of the 21st century, China's social productive forces have been developing at a high speed, with the overall national strength notably increasing and the people's living standards greatly improving. China's international status and influence have been enhanced remarkably, and great achievement has been made in the socialist construction of economy, politics, culture, society and ecological civilization. In combating corruption and building a clean government, China adheres to the principle of addressing both the symptoms and the root causes of corruption, and taking comprehensive measures to rectify both, combining punishment with prevention while focusing on the latter. It has set up a system for corruption punishment and prevention and attached special importance to the rectification of the root causes and prevention of corruption and institutional improvement in combating corruption. It is trying to broaden work areas to prevent corruption at the source and gradually build a long-term mechanism of education for corruption prevention, a system of combating corruption and building a clean government, and a monitoring mechanism over the exercise of power. A new way of combating corruption and building a clean government that conforms to China's national conditions and displays Chinese characteristics has taken shape.

So far, China's effort to combat corruption and build a clean government, which is managed systematically and promoted comprehensively, has yielded notable results. In the course of carrying out this work intensively, the interests of the state, the general public and citizens have been effectively protected, the situation for reform, development and stability has been constantly consolidated, and great strides have been made towards a strong, prosperous, democratic, harmonious and culturally advanced modern socialist state.

As dramatic changes have been taking place in China's economic system, social structure, the pattern of interests, and people's ideas and concepts, various social contradictions have become increasingly prominent. Since the relevant mechanisms and systems are still incomplete, corruption persists with some cases even involving huge sums of money. Breaches of law and discipline tend to be more covert, intelligent and complicated. The situation in combating corruption is still very serious, and the tasks are still abundant.

The CPC and the Chinese Government always keep a clear vision of the long-haul, complicated and arduous nature of the undertaking of combating corruption and building a clean government. They will continue to follow the overall plan to establish and perfect the system of punishment and prevention of corruption, resolutely punish and effectively prevent corruption with more resolutions and powerful measures, so as to win the people's confidence with actual achievements in the anti-corruption campaign.

I. Unswervingly Pushing Forward the Undertaking Of Combating Corruption and Building A Clean Government

Combating corruption and building a clean government is related to China's national development, the fundamental interests of the overwhelming majority of the Chinese people, social fairness, justice, harmony and stability. It is the consistent stance of the CPC and the Chinese Government to resolutely punish and effectively prevent corruption, and endeavor to build a clean government.

Shortly after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, China established state procuratorial organs, government supervisory organs and organs for discipline inspection in the CPC, and promulgated a series of laws and regulations, including the Constitution of the People's Republic of China and Regulations of the People's Republic of China for Suppression of Corruption. The system and mechanism for combating corruption and building a clean government were basically in place. In order to guarantee the purity of the new people's political power, China launched the Three-Anti Campaign (anti-corruption, anti-waste and anti-bureaucracy within the Party, government, army and mass organizations) and the Five-Anti Campaign (against bribery, tax evasion, theft of state property, cheating on government contracts, and stealing economic information) from the end of 1951 to October 1952. Through these measures, those guilty of bribery and corruption were seriously punished, and a clean, just and lively atmosphere was fostered.

In the late 1970s, China began to carry out the reform and opening-up policy. The reform and opening-up is a process of great social reform from a highly-centralized planned economy to a socialist market economy full of vigor, from a closed or semi-closed state to a state fully opened up to the outside world, which greatly liberated and developed the productive forces, and inspired social vigor. In this process corruption arose to some extent. Facing the new tests and challenges, China has implemented the policy of punishing corruption while making efforts to develop the economy, and carried out a series of special campaigns against such serious economic crimes as smuggling, illegal arbitrage of foreign exchange, embezzlement and taking bribes. A number of laws and regulations, including the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China and the Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China, were promulgated, together with the establishment of auditing bodies, thus further improving the system of combating corruption and building a clean government, and exploring new ways and methods of combating corruption under the aegis of the law in the new circumstance of reform and opening-up.

In the 1990s, China started to establish the socialist market economic system. Facing rampant corruption arising in the process of system transition, China made the decision to intensify efforts in opposing corruption and established a work pattern in anti-corruption that covered three aspects, i.e., ensuring leading cadres are incorruptible and self-disciplined, investigating and dealing with all breaches of law and discipline, and rectifying malpractices in various trades and departments. It was explicitly stated that both symptoms and root causes of corruption should be addressed, with education as the basis, laws as the guarantee and supervision as the key, and the soil that breeds corruption should be continuously removed through deepening reform. A number of laws and regulations on combating corruption and building a clean government were enacted, thus further improving the anti-corruption system. Anti-corruption and anti-bribery departments, departments dealing with dereliction of duty, malfeasance and infringement of citizens' rights were set up in the procuratorial organs. Many major decisions were made in this regard, including the decision to ban anyone in the army, public security forces or procuratorial, judicial or public security organs to engage in business transactions. Reforms in the structures, mechanisms and systems were carried out regarding administrative examination and approval, financial management, cadre and personnel affairs, etc. In addition, regulations were formulated to make government work, enterprise affairs and village affairs known to the public. The work of combating corruption and building a clean government has embarked on a road that features addressing of both symptoms and root causes of corruption, comprehensive treatment and gradual intensification of efforts to eliminate the root causes.

Since the start of the 21st century, China has placed in a more prominent position the work of combating corruption and building a clean government, adopted the principle of addressing both symptoms and root causes of corruption, enforcing comprehensive treatment, giving simultaneous stresses to punishment and prevention while giving priority to prevention, and establishing the national anti-corruption strategy by setting up and perfecting a system of punishment and prevention of corruption to comprehensively promote this undertaking. In work arrangement, stress has been given to strictly investigating and punishing all violations of the law and discipline, earnestly handling problems concerning leading cadres' honesty and self-discipline, resolutely rectifying malpractices that bring damage to the people's interests, enacting and improving laws and systems on combating corruption and building a clean government, and making great efforts in promoting reforms in major areas and key links. The National Bureau of Corruption Prevention of China has been established to take overall responsibility for the anti-corruption work in all aspects. Efforts are being made to raise the ethical standards of citizens and foster a culture of integrity so as to foster values and concepts upholding integrity among the public. Such values are being promoted in rural areas, enterprises, schools, public institutions, and urban communities, and the mechanism of risk prevention and control related to combating corruption is being established. In combating corruption and building a clean government, China is more explicit in direction, clearer in thought, and more effective in measures. On the whole, it shows a good trend of development.

After constant explorations in this field, China has gained a better understanding of and accumulated rich experience in combating corruption and building a clean government, which has promoted the country's rapid economic development and social stability. According to a survey by the National Bureau of Statistics of China, from 2003 to 2010, Chinese citizens' rate of satisfaction with the work of combating corruption and building a clean government rose steadily from 51.9 percent to 70.6 percent, and the percentage of citizens who thought corruption had been kept down to varying extents increased from 68.1 percent to 83.8 percent. Moreover, the efforts China has made in this regard have got positive comments from the international community.

II. Leadership System and Working Mechanism for Combating Corruption And Building a Clean Government

China's leadership system and working mechanism for combating corruption and building a clean government are determined by the systems of the state and government. In the practice of combating corruption and building a clean government over the years, China has put into place a leadership system and a working mechanism with Chinese characteristics, in which Party committees take unified leadership of the work, the Party and government both administer it, discipline inspection commissions of the Party organize and coordinate it, different departments take their due responsibilities related to it, and the masses support and participate in the endeavor.

The CPC is the ruling party of China, and thus the effort to combat corruption and build a clean government is under the leadership of the CPC. The Party rules the country in a scientific and democratic manner, and in accordance with the law, and conducts its activities within the framework of the Constitution and laws.

Throughout the history of revolution, construction and reform, the Party has always conscientiously made the work of combating corruption and building a clean government a priority task. Particularly since the reform and opening-up policies were introduced, the CPC Central Committee has formulated a series of strategies, principles and policies related to the work. Since 1993, the CPC Central Committee has been making arrangements for the work of combating corruption and building a clean government in the whole Party and country at annual plenary sessions of its Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. The State Council holds a working conference on building a clean government every year to make arrangements in the government system. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council have issued and revised the Provisions on the Responsibility System for Improving the Party's Style of Work and Upholding Integrity, specifying that leading groups and cadres at different levels should do a good job of combating corruption and building a clean government within their scope of duty in line with the principle of "taking responsibility for what he/she takes charge of" and that whoever violates the Provisions should be held accountable. To meet the requirements of the CPC Central Committee, local Party committees and governments incorporate the work of combating corruption and building a clean government into the overall plans of economic and social development, and into various reforms and policies, and arrange, carry out, examine and evaluate it together with the work of reform and development, thus ensuring that the work of combating corruption and building a clean government moves on steadily and effectively.

Public support and participation is an important foundation for the success of combating corruption and building a clean government. Social organizations, news media and the broad masses of the people play a significant role in making suggestions and offering advices, participating in supervision, and uncovering corruption.

In China, the major functional bodies for combating corruption and building a clean government are the Party's organs for discipline inspection, judicial organs of the state, supervisory and auditing organs of the government, and the National Bureau of Corruption Prevention of China.

The Party's commissions for discipline inspection at all levels are special organs for intra-Party oversight set up in accordance with the Constitution of the Communist Party of China, and their members are elected by the Party congresses at the corresponding levels. As major organs for combating corruption and building a clean government, these commissions undertake the following major tasks: upholding the Constitution and other statutes of the Party; inspecting the implementation of the lines, principles, policies and resolutions of the Party; assisting the respective Party committees to improve the Party's style of work, and organizing and coordinating the work against corruption. Their routine work includes providing education for Party members on their duty to observe Party discipline; overseeing the exercise of power by Party members holding leading positions; examining and dealing with cases in violation of Party discipline; dealing with complaints and appeals made by Party members; and guaranteeing the rights of Party members. The Party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection functions under the leadership of the Central Committee of the Party. The Party's local commissions for discipline inspection at all levels and primary commissions for discipline inspection function under the dual leadership of the Party committees at the corresponding levels and the commissions for discipline inspection at the next higher level.

The people's courts and people's procuratorates are both judicial organs of the state set up in accordance with the Constitution of the People's Republic of China. The former exercise judicial power independently, while the latter exercise procuratorial power independently, neither being subject to interference by administrative organs, public organizations or individuals. As judicial organs of the state, the people's courts try in accordance with the law all criminal cases, including cases of embezzlement, bribery and dereliction of duty considered to involve corruption, make timely and fair court decisions on cases of embezzlement, bribery and dereliction of duty that the procuratorial organs initiate public prosecution, and punish crimes of corruption in accordance with the law. As state organs for legal supervision, the people's procuratorates pursue liabilities of criminal acts, investigate state functionaries suspected of embezzlement and bribery, dereliction of duty, encroachment of right and other duty-related crimes, prevent duty-related crimes, and submit public prosecutions to people's courts on behalf of the state in accordance with the law. The Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate also direct the trial and procuratorial work of corruption cases by means of judicial interpretations. The people's procuratorates and the people's courts offer timely procuratorial and judicial suggestions respectively to departments and organs concerned on major issues relating to duty-related crimes arising in the course of investigation and trial of cases.

Supervisory organs of the government are set up in accordance with the Constitution of the People's Republic of China to exercise the power of supervision. They supervise over law enforcement by and integrity and efficiency of state administrative organs, their staff members and other personnel appointed by these organs, organizations empowered by laws or regulations to administer public affairs and their personnel engaged in public service, and organizations entrusted by state administrative organs in accordance with the law to administer public affairs and their personnel.

Auditing organs are supervisory organs through auditing set up in accordance with the Constitution of the People's Republic of China. They supervise through auditing in accordance with the law the revenues and expenditures of all departments under the State Council and of local governments at all levels, and those of the state financial and monetary organizations and of state-owned enterprises and public institutions. China has also put into place a system of economic accountability auditing to supervise major leaders of state organs and other organs to be audited in accordance with the law.