China has continued to impose severe punishment on corrupt officials in 2004. A group of corrupt official，including the former governor of Hubei Province Zhang Guoguang，have been brought down. However, the most joyful thing for anti-corruption workers is the important progress made in construction of anti-corruption system. "Anti-corruption work has turned from breakthrough in specific area to all-rounded work. The supervision and restriction of power is being beefed up," says Prof. Zhang Rongchen of Department of Party Construction of the Party school of CPC.

From the beginning of this year, the CPC has promulgated a series of regulations and documents including internal supervision rule of the Communist Party of China, which are meant to strengthen internal supervision, and rectify power use within the party. The governmental departments at all levels have begun adjusting the way to exercise power accordingly.

In November the CPC Jiangsu Provincial Committee conducted a vote on candidate for the position of party secretary of Wuxi Municipality. The 42-year-old Yang Weize was appointed party secretary of Wuxi after the vote. It used to be a convention that the party secretary of municipality is directly appointed by the provincial Party Committee.

The practice of voting has been adopted in Yunan, Gansu and other provinces in China. Public opinion thinks this practice will change the fact that minority of leaders make decision. It's a "good prescription" for correcting mistakes caused by false carder selected. The CPC Shandong Provincial Committee proposed that important issues and appointment and removal of important officials should be discussed or decided by vote by members of the committee.

The CPC central committee's decision on strengthening ruling capability of the party adopted in Sept 2004 proposed to build and improve inspection system, so as to improve and beef up supervision of leading body, especially principal leaders. The CPC central committee established five inspection groups in June 2003, which are responsible for inspection of cadres at provincial and ministerial level. So far the inspection groups have completed inspecting 2/3 of all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. The result will be reported to the CPC central disciplinary commission. The commission is to report important information to the CPC central committee.

Ren Keli, the head of the inspection group says in an interview that the inspection system is helpful resolving the blind zone-supervision of the "No. 1" in leading bodies. "The current supervision measures hardly constitute effective supervision on the "No. 1"leader, for he is at high position and possesses huge power. Other members in the leading body, the subordinate cadres and ordinary party members do not own sufficient rights and authority to restrict the power of the "No.1"," says Ren Keli. "Supervision by the inspection group can resolve some tough problems, i.e. supervision by the mass fail to take effect; internal supervision inside the leading body doesn't work in restricting the "No.1" leader, since the inspection group is objective and beyond control of the local leading body." The enaction of administrative permission law symbolizes that China has begun to build a limited government. Premier Wen said at a telephone-conference that the administrative permission law enacted on July 1st was an important law to regulate activities of government.

"Historical experience has proven exercising power without restriction or supervision is bound to result in power abuse and corruption," said Premier Wen at the conference.

Wen indicated that effective democratic supervision system, including supervision by people's congress, by CPPCC, judicial supervision, media supervision, the mass supervision and supervision inside government shall persist and be exercised of the leader's own will.

Corruption cases have continually emerged in China although large sum of capital and manpower are put in combat against corruption. This shows construction of anti-corruption system is more important except education of officials and cracking down on corrupted officials.

"The central government send inspection group to help make relations smooth, to dissolve contradictions. It is a protective measure for "No. 1" leader because the group serves to remind him of the newly emerged problems and help solve these problems." Ren said. A total of 22, 968 crime cases committed by government employees who took advantage of duty were trailed in 2003. 537 officials above county magistrate level were sentenced for corruption.

(People's Daily December 22, 2004)