China's top legislator Zhang Dejiang delivers a work report at a a plenary meeting of theNational People's Congress' annual session in Beijing March 8, 2014.[Photo/Xinhua]

Upon attending the panel discussion of the Jiangxi provincial delegation at the ongoing session of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, and hearing they achieved satisfactory economic results last year, top leader Xi Jinping noted that the anti-corruption campaign is a boost to sustainable economic prosperity instead of a drag on development. Comments:

The campaign against corruption will bring fairer market order, in which entrepreneurs will improve their products for a bigger market share instead of bribing officials for a monopoly. Such a market environment will not only raise the efficiency of the economy, it will also attract more domestic and overseas investors.

xinhuanet.com, March 8

Sixty five-star hotels suffered losses in 2014, because about 70 percent of their revenue came from government-related consumption; that's only one example of the withering luxury consumption. However, it should be noted that their past prosperity was based mainly on officials' massive selfish spending of taxpayers' money.

chinanews.com, March 7

Corruption is a cancer in the body of the economy because it makes good policies ineffective and serves the privileged class at the cost of those without power. The anti-graft efforts will change this and raise the efficiency of the economy, thus promoting, instead of curbing, healthy economic development.

Li Daokui, an economist and member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, March 7

Corruption lowers the quality of economic development. For example, when someone bribes an official and wins a government contract to build a bridge, he will almost surely build one of inferior quality for profit. Another example is officials selling State-owned mining sites at extremely low prices for personal gain, which hurts the economy. The anti-graft efforts will prevent both of these examples, as well as others.

Justin Yifu Lin, an economist, March 7

The anti-corruption campaign is part of a greater strategic move, which means much more than hunting some tigers (high-ranking officials) and swatting some flies (low-level bureaucrats). It will reshape society in terms of values and behavior, thus making sustainable development possible.

People's Daily, via WeChat, March 9

Who is trying to persuade people that the anti-graft campaign is hurting the economy? Obviously, it is the privileged class that absorbs astonishing amounts of illegal gains and hopes to keep on absorbing them. The campaign against their efforts to continue their corruption will be a long one.

Qianjiang Evening News, March 7