Beijing (EFE).- The Chinese Communist Party of China (CCP) on Friday announced new measures to strengthen internal discipline and prevent corruption following the recent dismissal of several senior military and civilian officials for serious violations of law and discipline.
Jiang Jinquan, director of the Political Research Office of the Central Committee, said during the press conference following the closing of the CCP Central Committee plenary session that the Party “will resolutely fight corruption” and “adjust those who are not competent in their current roles.”
Jiang affirmed that “political integrity will remain the foremost criterion” for the selection and appointment of officials, in remarks that extend the disciplinary tone of the plenary session held this week in Beijing.
The CCP will “improve the systems of Party and state supervision” and “strengthen norms and oversight over the allocation and operation of power,” with the goal of ensuring that “officials have neither the neither the audacity, the opportunity, nor the desire to engage in corruption,” he emphasized.
The leader added that improving Party conduct will be a regular and long-term task focused on “tackling formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance, and reducing unnecessary burdens on grassroots officials.”
According to Jiang, these guidelines seek to combine innovation, real economy, and good governance, with Party discipline as a guarantee of implementation.
The statements come one day after the Central Committee confirmed the expulsion of 14 members for corruption, including General He Weidong, until now vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), and Admiral Miao Hua, in one of the largest internal purges in recent years.
The investigations, authorized by the Central Committee and the CMC, have affected various sectors of the armed forces, including those linked to the Rocket Force, which is responsible for China’s nuclear arsenal.
In recent years, the military has been at the center of various corruption scandals that led to the fall of the previous two defense ministers and the dismissal of senior officials responsible for weapons and procurement.
In July, the CMC issued new guidelines to strengthen the “political loyalty” and integrity of its members, amid increasing internal oversight.
The plenum, held behind closed doors in Beijing, did not approve the new five-year plan, but adopted general guidelines that will serve as the basis for its final draft. EFE
gbm/tw
