Shanxi lauded for anti-graft fight

China's difficult but increasingly successful fight against corruption was outlined on Friday to senior international visitors, by the Communist Party of China's Shanxi Provincial Committee.

Song Tao, minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, said at a seminar on Shanxi province's efforts, that combatting corruption was an important issue facing governments around the world.

Song said authorities everywhere had important responsibilities in ensuring that honesty prevailed and society benefitted.

He said the CPC's fight against corruption over the past five years had cleaned the air for society in China, adding that Shanxi was a classic case.

Luo Huining, Party secretary of Shanxi province, explained that creative measures had been deployed against corruption.

He said the provincial Party committee has been very strict with its administration of personnel. In the past year, 105 Party organizations and 1,028 Party cadres were held accountable for failure to fulfill their responsibilities over Party management.

"Now cadre promotion in Shanxi does not depend on (family) relations or background," Luo said, adding that conduct and job performances were the benchmarks for checking on the efficiency of officials.

Luo said that in the latter half of 2016, the province sent about 14,000 officials from Party and government organizations to 4,580 enterprises to help resolve nearly 10,000 problems in government services.

"Such moves stabilized and improved the economy," Luo said, adding the province's GDP increased by 6.1 percent in the first quarter of this year.

Alejandra Noemi Reynoso Sanchez, secretary of the Board of the Chamber of Deputies of Mexico, said all political parties and governments faced the task of combating corruption and winning the trust from their people.

"China's experience deserves promotion in our country," she said.

Kabir Hashim, general-secretary of the United National Party of Sri Lanka, said: "In my visit to Shanxi, I witnessed the successful self-cleansing of the CPC."

He said the local Party committee's decision to send officials to companies was "very bold and human".

"The CPC responded to the demands of people and the country in time, instead of throwing all the things (over) to the government. It is a very successful model."

Daniel Bell, a senior Canadian China specialist, said before he went to Shanxi, he had the impression that efforts to curb corruption also discouraged local officials' enthusiasm for their work.

However, he said the impression was challenged during the visit.

"Now there are may capable officials in Shanxi; their enthusiasm has been reignited," he said, adding that might be due to changes in the local leadership and cadre promotion policies.

About 400 representatives from foreign political parties, embassies and international organizations, as well as foreign academics attended the seminar.