Corruption is crucial threat, Wen says

The government will mull over the possibility of publicizing assets of officials to a limited circle as an effort to fight corruption, Premier Wen Jiabao said on Monday.

"Corruption is the most crucial threat to the ruling party," Wen said at the State Council's annual conference on anti-corruption work, adding that corruption may completely undermine the country's political foundations if not handled properly.

Despite taking consistent measures to fight corruption in previous years, Wen conceded that the overall performance of the government and officials has yet to meet the public's expectations.

"Corruption tends to occur frequently in departments that possess great power and in areas where the management of funds is centralized. Corruption cases involving State-owned enterprises and high-level officials are still serious," Wen said.

The country has not worked out a timetable or any details of the assets declaration policy. If the policy is carried out in the future, Wen said, it will be made public "within a certain range".

In addition, he called for tighter management of and discipline over officials, especially those whose spouses and children have gone to live overseas.

The money spent on overseas trips, receptions and vehicle purchases and maintenance by government officials will also be strictly controlled. Wen pledged no increase of such government expenditure this year.

"Public funds should never be allowed to buy cigarettes, high-end wines and gifts. The use of government vehicles and construction of government office buildings should also be strictly managed. Luxurious buildings or decorations will be prohibited. The number of ceremonies, forums and conferences should be controlled," Wen said.

So far, 98 central government departments and some of the provincial and city governments have publicized expenditure on overseas trips, receptions and vehicles, according to Wen.

He said the government should improve transparency and create favorable circumstances for the public to supervise the government and officials.

Li Chengyan, head of Peking University's clean government research center, said the conference is "timely" since corruption has become one of the prominent challenges to the Communist Party of China.

Li noted that the wording used by Wen at the conference is forceful and shows a stronger determination to address the issue.

The Supreme People's Procuratorate said in its annual work report this month that prosecutors across the country investigated about 18,500 major cases of corruption and embezzlement in 2011, with seven minister-level officials having been investigated.