General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, addresses the sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on Jan 18, 2022. Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning and Han Zheng attended the meeting. Zhao Leji, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the CCDI, presided over the meeting. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - The Communist Party of China's top disciplinary agency pledged to maintain strong and persistent crackdown on corruption in a communique released Thursday.

The communique was adopted at the sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which was held in Beijing from Tuesday to Thursday.

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Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, attended the plenum and delivered an important speech.

In 2022, the CPC will convene its 20th national congress, which is a major event in the political life of the Party and the country, the communique read

Party and state leaders including Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji and Han Zheng attended the session.

The session reviewed the disciplinary work in 2021, made arrangements for tasks in 2022, and deliberated and approved a work report delivered by Zhao Leji on behalf of the CCDI standing committee.

In 2021, the CPC celebrated its centenary and reviewed its major achievements and historical experience over the past century.

In 2022, the CPC will convene its 20th national congress, which is a major event in the political life of the Party and the country, the communique read.

General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, addresses the sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) on Jan 18, 2022. (LI XUEREN / XINHUA)

It urged coordination in punishing corruption, strengthening deterrence among officials, tightening institutional restrictions, and improving their political awareness to make more institutional achievements and greater progress in governance.

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Discipline inspection commissions and supervision agencies should play a better role in enforcing oversight over decision implementation, the communique said.

Calling for unswerving efforts to deepen the anti-corruption drive, the plenum stressed that no mercy will be shown to those who run or are engaged in political factions, cliques or interest groups within the Party, and strict standards will be adopted to educate, manage and supervise young officials

Having the courage to reform itself distinguishes the CPC from other political parties. It is the Party's secret to avoiding the historical cycle of rise and fall and remaining vibrant after a century of struggle, the communique stressed.

Political oversight

Political oversight should focus on several vital tasks, including deepening reform and opening-up across the board, advancing common prosperity, building strength in science and technology, and forestalling and defusing major risks, the communique noted.

The document stressed the importance of putting the spotlight on leading officials, also known as the "key few."

It called for strengthened oversight over officials in command and leadership teams, especially concerning their performance in fulfilling their responsibility to exercise strict Party self-governance in all respects, implementation of democratic centralism, and their exercise of power according to laws and regulations.

Deepening anti-corruption drive

Calling for unswerving efforts to deepen the anti-corruption drive, the plenum stressed that no mercy will be shown to those who run or are engaged in political factions, cliques or interest groups within the Party, and strict standards will be adopted to educate, manage and supervise young officials.

Efforts will be stepped up to investigate and punish any corruption behind the runaway expansion of capital and the monopoly of platform enterprises in order to sever the connections between power and capital, and financial discipline will be strengthened, said the communique.