China Focus: No end to improving officials' work style as violations rebound

The ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) continues its endless drive to improve work styles among members as the latest official data shows a sharp rebound of certain violations this year.

The number of officials punished after flouting frugality rules in the first ten months exceeded the total of last year, according to the figures announced by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Party's top discipline watchdog.

Friday marks the third anniversary of the eight-point regulation targeting formalism, bureaucracy and extravagance, introduced by the current CPC leadership on Dec. 4, 2012.

By the end of October, around 104,900 violations were handled nationwide and more than 138,800 officials were subjected to disciplinary action in the past three years.

Yet a sharp rise was reported in certain misconduct this year. For example, in the first ten months, cases involving unauthorized spending on meals and tours abroad with public funds increased 278 percent and 221 percent respectively year-on-year.

More officials being disciplined highlights the effect of the campaign and prompts endless efforts for the CPC to improve work style with more reforms.

A recent case tells how serious local discipline authorities are. A township official in Juye County, Shandong Province, was reprimanded for eating an apple in a fruit store and taking one without paying in another store, the county's discipline watchdog announced last week.

"The violation is trivial in terms of the economic value it involves. But the behavior is quite inappropriate to his identity as a Party member and a government official," said Zhuang Deshui, a researcher in clean governance at Peking University.

Beside senior government officials, a number of officials from Chinese universities and supervisors or executives in the financial sectors have also been investigated for violations in the anti-corruption campaign.

Wang Cizhao, principal of Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, was handed a serious warning for taking advantage of his position to hold a wedding for his daughter, the Ministry of Education said Tuesday.

Anti-corruption authorities announced in September Zhang Yujun, assistant chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, had been removed from office for "severe disciplinary violations".

Chinese prosecutors investigated 877 people in the financial sector for bribery or abuse of power between January 2014 and June 2015, according to the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

"It is not easy to root out the habitual malpractices of officials. To improve the work style of CPC members and officials is a long-term task and needs persistent crackdown on violations," said Wang Yukai, professor with the Chinese Academy of Governance.

The impact of the anti-corruption campaign has been felt by rural residents.

In Wannian County, Jiangxi Province, villages have had discipline inspection officials, called "woodpeckers" by residents, in an effort to find and handle corruption cases among village officials.

Wang Weiwei, an inspection official at Wanli village, received a tip-off about a financial violation from village officials in May. An investigation managed to return the 6,000 yuan (940 U.S. dollars) grain subsidy that was embezzled to villagers.

Formalism remains in many places.

"I spend half of my work days in meetings," said an official in Guangdong province, who declined to be identified.

Anti-corruption is closely related with the country's effort to promote the rule of law, said Tang Zhihua, a professor with Guangxi Normal University. "A thorough battle against corruption calls for deepening reforms comprehensively and perfecting rules and mechanisms." Endi