China Focus: Pre-holiday personal asset reports highlight Party discipline

With China's most important holiday, Spring Festival, just around the corner, the upper echelons of officialdom are preparing to submit their annual asset reports to the Communist Party of China (CPC). The deadline is Jan. 31.

The State Council and the CPC jointly published rules in 2010, urging that income, investment and property must be declared to ensure leading cadres do not stray from the Party's code of conduct.

After the reports are submitted, disciplinary watchdogs will select reports at random and go through them with a fine-tooth comb. Anyone found to have fabricated content will be held to account.

Over 3,900 officials were disqualified from promotions in 2015, and 124 demoted.

Last year 10 percent of declarations were checked, and it was less than 5 percent the previous year.

"The numbers indicate that there are still problems," said Ren Jianming, chief researcher on frugal governance at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

As the Party enters a crucial phase in its anti-graft campaign, the scrutinizing of officials' assets will shine a light on adherence to the Party's code of conduct.

"The rigorous review of declared assets serves as a preventive and practical measure against corruption," said Wu Hui, associate professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.

Wu chose the term "rigorous" to refer the stricter reporting rules rolled out for 2016, as more assets must be declared this year, and more details to be elaborated on.

According to some officials, if they miscalculated the floor area of their homes, even by one square meter, they would have to write an additional report.

In addition, more officials must report their assets this year, following calls for a wider range of reports and checks last year.

"The 'upgraded' measures are a sign that the Party's is moving with the times," Wu added. "They have illustrated the determination to crack down on corruption."

As the ruling party, however, the CPC still has a long way until it is fully transparent.

As for the future, some political observers are calling for the declarations of senior officials to be made public, so that the public can play a bigger part.

Other observers expect the CPC to develop its corruption campaign to include democratic meetings, self-criticism and scrutinizing the officials' assets.

"We can still learn a lot from the past," said Ren Jianming. "Its necessary to adhere to those traditions." Endi