CPC to target govt organs, public institutions in discipline inspections

BEIJING - The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee will try to expand its discipline inspections into all government organs and government-sponsored institutions next year, a CPC disciplinary official said on Sunday.

Conducting "inspections across the board" has been fixed as a task in a revised version of CPC disciplinary regulations and is considered an important way to govern the Party strictly, said Luo Liping from the office of the CPC Central Committee's inspection leadership group.

To achieve the aim, inspections at the central level have to cover more than 280 ministries, local governments, major state-owned enterprises (SOEs), financial and public institutions, according to Luo.

Discipline inspections have grown more intensive since the 18th CPC National Congress in late 2012. They focus on investigating and punishing officials violating Party or frugality rules, especially those embezzling public money, taking bribes, and selling or buying government positions.

The leadership group oversaw 149 inspections since late 2012 and would conclude inspections on all local governments, major SOEs and financial institutions, including the central bank, securities regulators and state-owned banks, by the year end, Luo said.

Luo noted that more than 100 rounds of inspections would be conducted.

All local governments, enterprises and public institutions under the administration of the central authorities should be inspected before the 19th CPC National Congress, he said.

The CPC Central Committee published a revised version of its disciplinary regulations in October, as the CPC moved to improve the management of its 88 million members amid the sweeping anti-corruption drive.

So far, many high-ranking officials have been taken down, including Ling Jihua, a former member of the CPC Central Committee, and Song Lin, former chair of state-owned China Resources (Holdings) Co. Ltd.