6,400 officials punished for misbehavior

At least 6,400 government officials have been punished after their misbehavior was exposed by inspectors from China's top anti-graft watchdog.

The officials, from six provinces, two ministries and a State-owned enterprise, committed violations of discipline and law, according to a statement released by the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

The punishment is a resolute response to the problems discovered by the inspectors dispatched by the country's top anti-graft agency. In October, the CCDI sent 10 teams to the provinces, ministries, SOE and Xinhua News Agency to collect information on corruption.

Disciplinary authorities of Hunan province have punished 3,040 officials in the anti-graft campaign - the most among the 10 places that were inspected.

Among them, 466 officials, including 18 at the prefecture level and 139 at the county level, were found to be responsible for an election scandal that triggered public outrage last year. An investigation showed that 56 provincial legislators offered 110 million yuan ($17.6 million) in bribes to 518 lawmakers and another 68 staff members in Hengyang, Hunan province.

A total of 2,347 officials were punished in Jilin province after the arrival of the inspectors, according to the CCDI statement.

The most common problems found by the inspectors were related to the nomination and promotion of officials.

For example, Party and government officials in Jilin province nominated 23 deputy secretaries-general to posts that weren't necessary. All of them have since been transferred to other posts in line with regulations, said the CCDI.

To prevent government officials from taking bribes through family members, the Ministry of Land and Resources has registered information on officials' spouses and children, including their jobs.

The inspected places have also been warned not to violate the "eight-point" frugality rules. In December 2012, the CPC Central Committee put forward the frugality guidelines, which require government officials to get close to the people by cleaning up undesirable work styles such as extravagance and excessive bureaucracy.

Xinhua said that it has cut its budget for holding conferences by 42.8 percent this year in an effort to boost frugality, and the Ministry of Commerce has reduced the number of overseas trips by officials this year to save money, according to the CCDI.

Last year, 30,420 officials were punished by disciplinary authorities for violating the frugality campaign.

The inspectors have publicized their phone numbers, and the public can send tips directly to the central authorities.

Jiang Ming'an, a law professor at Peking University, said that inspections are an effective method to fight corruption.