China has punished 67,505 government officials for corruption in less than
four years since 2003, according to the latest judicial figures released Monday.
"These punishment figures show that the country's prosecutors are determined
to root out corruption," said Wang Zhenchuan, deputy procurator-general of the
Supreme People's Procuratorate, citing his office's statistics from January 2003
to August 2006.
"With improvements to the graft prevention system, corruption is on the
decline in many sectors," said Wang, addressing hundreds of representatives from
international anti-corruption bodies at a five-day Beijing conference that will
last till Thursday.
"The Supreme People's Procuratorate is willing to cooperate with other
countries in the fight against corruption," China top prosecutor Jia Chunwang
told delegates at the First Annual Conference and General Meeting of the
International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA) on Monday.
"All kinds of cooperation are welcome provided they are effective," he said,
adding that there is a trend for anti-corruption authorities around the globe to
join hands in fighting graft.
The Supreme People's Procuratorate has signed 83 anti-graft memorandums with
75 law enforcement departments in the world.
Jia said corruption, if not controlled, would undermine democracy and the
rule of law and engender an increase in organized crime and terrorism.
"A clean government and the rule of law are two goals China has long been
pursuing," Jia said.
At the opening ceremony of the conference, Chinese President Hu Jintao also
emphasized that the Chinese government is fully committed to fighting
corruption. The anti-graft combat is a priority that is having a great influence
on the overall development of the country.
According to the procuratorate's statistics, more than 17,505 corrupt
officials were prosecuted and punished in the first eight months of 2006.
China has set up anti-graft bureaus in procuratorates at all levels, and
employed 36,000 people in its anti-corruption efforts.
