China battles to stamp out corruption
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E-mail CNTV, March 10, 2013
The procurator general has spelled out the mission of his agency, to the joint session of lawmakers and political advisors -- investigation and prevention of abuse of power. He's released the latest figures on corruption cases during the five-year term office.
CCTV reporter Han Bin tells us that while lawmakers and advisors believe China is intensifying its crackdown on corruption, people believe punishment alone will not get the root of the matter.
On their way to fight corruption, and make their voices heard. It’s a key mission for the lawmakers.
Zhou Hongyu, NPC deputy of Hubei, said, "It’s not enough to make general policies--we need specific measures, like publicizing officials’ assets and making an anti-corruption law."
Deng Zeshui, NPC deputy of Hainan, said, "We should strengthen law enforcement to reduce the opportunity for crime."
Tao Shuju, NPC deputy of Inner Mongolia, said, "We should not only focus on enforcement, but also stress prevention to curb corruption at its roots."
Reporting to the lawmakers and political advisors, Procurator General Cao Jianming laid out the investigation and prevention of power abuse over the past five years.
He says more than 210,000 officials have been investigated for graft and infringement of people's rights. More than 13,000 are above the county level, and 30, at provincial and ministerial levels.
The long list of punished officials, includes the former Railway Minister Liu Zhijun, former deputy director of the General Logistics Department of the PLA Gu Junsan, and former Deputy Party Secretary of Sichuan Province Li Chuncheng.
The procurator general promised to continue investigations and to create a monitoring mechanism.
The anti-graft fight featured prominently in the government work report at the opening of the congress. Premier Wen Jiaobao called for reducing excessive concentration of power and improving the checks on power.
China’s new leader Xi Jinping has warned that corruption threatens the Party’s survival. He’s launched a campaign to prevent waste and graft. Public expectations have been raised, yet, the public wants to see convincing signs that the winds of change, will last beyond the two sessions.
CCTV reporter Han Bin said, "China's fight against corruption has been going on for decades. But the new figures on corrupt officials leave many feeling the problem is getting worse.
On becoming Party's General Secretary, Xi Jinping spoke about "putting power in an institutional cage." But many say determination and supervision aren’t enough. What they want is an effective mechanism that gets to the root of the problem. Much more needs to be done for the new leadership to bring about this fundamental change.
