Make discipline inspection 'Sword of Damocles'

Wang Qishan (C), a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, addresses a conference on the work of central-level Party inspection in Beijing, March 15, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - China's anti-corruption chief Wang Qishan on Saturday called for efforts to innovate disciplinary inspection and make it "the Sword of Damocles" that hangs above those in power as a deterrent.

Wang, secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the Communist Party of China (CPC), made the remarks at a meeting to deploy disciplinary inspection work in 2014.

The organizational and supervisory system should be innovated and inspections could be carried out more flexibly, he said.

Wang, who also heads the CPC Central Committee's inspection leadership group, said the CCDI plans to complete regular inspections at the local level this year.

The CCDI has carried out two rounds of inspections to discover malpractice and harmful work styles since May of last year and has found evidence of corruption, leading to punishment of wrongdoers.

According to the schedule, it will soon send inspectors to the Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai-based Fudan University, state-owned China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation (COFCO), the provincial-level areas of Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning, Fujian, Shandong, Henan, Hainan, Gansu, Ningxia, and Xinjiang, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in a new round of inspections.

During Saturday's meeting, Wang asked inspectors to keep a sober mind as the situation of the country's anti-corruption fight remains "grave and complicated."

Though things have improved in the past year following the Party's campaign to clean up four undesirable work styles - formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance - Wang warned continued efforts are needed to prevent relapse.

He urged inspectors to earnestly carry out their duties and said those who turn a blind eye to violations will be held accountable.

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