Party disciplinary violations that amount to criminal abuses of power should be treated as criminal cases, experts said.

The comments come after nearly 2,300 officials have been punished since the nationwide clampdown on graft and wasteful spending began in December.

"Any behavior that violates the rules as a criminal abuse of power must be treated as a criminal case to deter others," said Yi Shenghua, a Beijing attorney from Yingke Law Firm with 10 years' experience in corruption cases.