China issues anti-corruption rules

[Oneword]

The Communist Party of China Thursday issued a list of "10 taboos" for public officials as part of the government's attempt to fight corruption ahead of a reshuffling of provincial leadership posts later this month. The rules focus on preventing bribes, favors, negative campaigning, and intimidation. The government will assign groups of inspectors throughout the country to monitor the reshuffling.

China has taken a hard line on corruption in recent months, punishing several officials with lengthy prison terms and the death penalty . Last month December), a former prosecutor received a suspended death sentence after being convicted of accepting bribes and embezzling money. In September, a former official of the Agricultural Bank of China was executed for taking bribes and embezzling nearly $2 million. In July, the former commissioner of China's State Food and Drug Administration was executed for accepting $850,000 in bribes

The "10 taboos" include:

1. using various ways to win support during the reshuffle, including making phone calls, conducting visits, holding banquets and giving gifts;
2. lobbying officials of higher rank to achieve promotion;
3. handing out pamphlets or giving souvenirs without authorization;
4. holding social activities in the name of reunions of classmates, townsmen or fellow soldiers to form cliques;
5. offering bribes in cash, gifts and stocks to buy government jobs;
6. taking bribes or attending banquets staged to drum up support during the reshuffle;
7. covering up or shielding illicit activities during the reshuffle;
8. spreading hearsay or using letters, leaflets, text messages or the Internet to vilify others;
9. using intimidation or deception to hamper and infringe upon the democratic rights of delegates or committee members;
10. arranging jobs for people or making a rush for somebody's promotion.

China will go through nationwide leadership elections and reshuffles of legislatures, governments and political advisory bodies at the provincial level in January this year as many officials had finished their five-year term.

The department announced last month that 1,968 officials have been punished for wrongdoing during the reshuffle of local governments, legislatures and political advisory bodies. They have received administrative and discipline punishment and some even faced criminal charges.

Organization departments of all levels have investigated about 25,000 complaints since the reshuffle started in 2006 and found 1,844 cases of malpractice.

A prefectural-level official in north China's Hebei provincial government was dismissed from his post on November 30 last year by the CPC committee in Hebei province for buying votes through "giving out presents, paying home visits to people concerned and inviting them for dinners" and is awaiting further punishment.

Jurist/ Xinhua