1st Ld-Writethru: Xi vows to protect internal Party environment from corruption

Chinese top leader Xi Jinping has called for further efforts to eliminate corruption, describing it as "the deadliest pollution source" affecting the political environment within the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Xi, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks on Tuesday afternoon at a study session on Party discipline attended by members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

Xi stressed that a serious, healthy and clean political environment within the CPC has been crucial to the Party maintaining its vigor, advantages, creativity and unity over the past 95 years and is what distinguishes the CPC from non-Marxist parties.

The CPC is set to celebrate its 95th anniversary on July 1.

Recalling the CPC developing from only 50-plus members to the world's largest ruling Party with more than 88 million members, Xi noted that such growth is based on the ties with the people, rationality, firm beliefs, sound organization and rules, and all which are closely related to the political environment within the Party.

"We should pay equal attention to preventing bad acts and encouraging good ones to fill our Party with positive energy and leave no room for evil," Xi said.

As the CPC is leading the country to realize its development goals and the dream of national revival, intra-Party reform is a priority, Xi said.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee has worked hard to remove harmful practice of officials, such as bureaucracy and extravagance, and severely punished officials who violated the Party's code of conduct or broke the law, Xi said.

As a result, the political environment within the Party is refreshing, he said.

However, Xi stressed that problems will not be solved overnight and the Party must continue to improve its internal governance.

Noting that it is important to adhere to the Party's political, ideological and organizational guidelines as well as its "mass line" tenet, Xi said measures to enhance the Party's ideological and political integrity are a top priority.

Efforts should be made to reinforce belief among Party members, especially senior Party officials and nurture their spirit and minds, according to Xi.

He also said all CPC members must be confident in the path, theory and system of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Moreover, Xi called for a better approach when selecting and promoting officials, in order to ensure that officials are faithful, clean and responsible and to purify the relations among Party members and between leaders and subordinates.

Xi stressed that Party rules must be clearly established and strictly enforced to make them properly binding and that senior officials, including those in the Standing Committee of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, should take the lead when observing these rules.

He further called on Party officials and members to diligently work for the people, promote the Party's fine traditions and maintain clean governance to ensure that the CPC always stays at the core of leadership for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Endi