Gang crimes prosecuted by law, says first session spokesman

The concern that China's latest campaign against gang-related crimes may lead to performance competition among local governments is unnecessary because the central leadership has emphasized the importance of strictly handling such cases in accordance with the law, a spokesman said Friday.

Gang-related crime is a cancer of the society and a disease that people hate. The nationwide campaign was introduced to deal with the new trends in gang-related crimes. It was a major decision by the central leadership, Wang Guoqing, the spokesman of the first session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said at a news conference.

"Fighting such crimes is crucial to China's social stability and long-term peace as well as to boost political security at the grassroots level," he said when answering a question about the campaign from a China Daily reporter.

Results have already begun to show progress since the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council jointly released a document on Jan 24 deploying a new campaign against gangs and other criminal organizations, Wang said. Many gangs were busted across the country shortly after the campaign was introduced.

"The central leadership has made it very clear that the campaign must be carried out strictly in accordance with the law. Also, there is no room for flaws in any case. Local governments are urged to be realistic when handling such cases and not to see the campaign as an opportunity to show off political achievements," he added.

The large-scale campaign will win over people's hearts and be a victory for the rule of law, Wang said.

The latest campaign against gang-related crimes will prioritize targeting officials who serve as "protective umbrellas" and gangsters at the grassroots level. Meanwhile, the emphasis on laws, facts, evidence and procedures while carrying out the campaign, as has been ordered by the central leadership, is expected to help reduce the chance of prosecuting the wrong cases.