Xi warns of Party 'cabals and cliques'

BEIJING - President Xi Jinping has warned of "cabals and cliques" in the Communist Party of China (CPC), while also denying that the ousting of officials on corruption charges indicated a "'House of Cards' power struggle".

"There are careerists and conspirators existing in our Party and undermining the Party's governance. We should not bury our heads in the sand and spare these members but must make a resolute response to eliminate the problem and deter further violations," said Xi in a speech published in full text in Tuesday's edition of the People's Daily.

Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, gave the speech in January, at a plenary session of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection which mapped out the anti-graft work in 2016.

He said "some officials have been forming cabals and cliques to covertly defy the CPC Central Committee's decisions and policies" and that they "risk compromising the political security of the Party and the country".

In response, the CPC will step up its anti-corruption campaign, according to the president.

"We must make it clear that our Party's fight against corruption is not a snobbish affair that discriminates between different people, and it is not a 'House of Cards' power struggle," he added.

He also rebutted the suspicion that the anti-graft drive is going to wind down, according to the speech.