Party to strike at cliques

China's graft-busters will investigate Party members forming cliques to further curb corruption, according to the Central Committee for Disciplinary Inspection (CCDI).

The Communist Party of China (CPC) adopts "zero tolerance" towards cliques and factions within it, Su Jing, senior official under the CCDI's Research Department said on Wednesday adding that Party members must safeguard the authority of the Central government and unity of the Party

Some local government officers have held class or fellows' gatherings with the intention of forming factions to help gain promotions in future rather than making friends, she said.

In addition, some officials fail to report to the Party that they have sent their spouses and children abroad to operate businesses or study, and make a permanent living. Others, who married, divorced or their family underwent significant changes also failed to report such facts.

"Such behavior is considered breaking Party regulations, and once they go further, they are close to involving graft," Su said.

Before the new year, the political bureau of the CPC Central Committee held an official meeting presided over by President Xi Jinping and issued a notice saying: "Those who break the Party rules to have a bad work style and extravagant deeds will be severely punished, and their supervisors will also be held accountable".

The condemnation of cliques and factions could be considered the latest warning for other officials to avoid the misdeeds of Zhou Yongkang, former security chief; Xu Caihou, former vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and Ling Jihua, former minister of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, as well as other corrupt senior officials.

According to a Xinhua news report, the fallen "tigers" – senior officials at bureau level or above alleged to have been involved with corruption - have established close relationships with groups of officials in local governments and among business directors to set up many factions, dubbed " oil clique", " secretary clique" or "shanxi clique".