China advances discipline inspection reforms with new documents

A new set of procedural rules for choosing heads for the Communist Party of China's (CPC's) discipline inspection branches have been outlined in three documents.

The documents, approved at the ninth meeting of the central leading group for comprehensively deepening reform on Friday, stipulate procedures for nomination and assessment of heads and deputy heads of discipline inspection commissions at provincial-level, leaders and deputy leaders of stationed inspection teams sent by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, as well as leaders and deputy leaders of inspection commissions at state-owned enterprises under the central government's administration, according to a statement issued after the meeting.

The meeting was presided over by Chinese President and General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping and attended by senior leaders Li Keqiang, Liu Yunshan and Zhang Gaoli.

The documents are expected to reinforce independence and authority of discipline inspection commissions while furthering leadership by the Party in the anti-corruption drive, the statement said.

Reforms in the CPC's discipline inspection system must be deepened and the supervision by superior inspection authorities must also be strengthened, the statement said.

Leaders of discipline inspectors are backbones for the process and choosing such officials must be done with high standards and strict requirements, it added.

The statement said these officials should be committed and courageous to practice supervision and other responsibilities.

It called on Party organizations, discipline inspection authorities and personnel departments at all levels to carefully implement the new documents.

"Those who enforce the law must first observe the rules and those who discipline others must first be self-disciplined," it said, calling on the inspectors to strictly adhere to political disciplines, perform their duties and be loyal to the Party. Endi