The System of Punishing and Preventing Corruption

A system with “treatment of both symptoms and root causes, comprehensive treatment, simultaneous punishment and prevention, and emphasis on prevention” as the policy, with “equal emphasis on education, system, and supervision” as the principle, and “realizing honest and upright cadres, clean and incorruptible governments and political integrity” as the goal. Promoting and improving the corruption punishment and prevention system is a major strategic decision made by the Communist Party of China on the basis of profoundly summarizing historical experience and scientifically judging the new situation of corruption in China in the new era. It is the top-level design and national strategy for combating corruption and upholding integrity in China. In October 2003, the Third Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee adopted the “Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Several Issues Concerning the Improvement of the Socialist Market Economy System”, which for the first time proposed to “establish and improve a corruption punishment and prevention system compatible with the socialist market economic system and with equal emphasis on education, system and supervision”. In September 2004, the 4th Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee adopted the “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Strengthening the Construction of the Party's Governing Capability” , which proposed to adhere to the policy of “treatment of both symptoms and root causes, comprehensive treatment, simultaneous punishment and prevention, and emphasis on prevention”. In January 2005, the CPC Central Committee promulgated the “Implementation Outline for Establishing and Improving the Corruption Punishment and Prevention System with Equal Emphasis on Education, System, and Supervision”, which comprehensively elaborated the guiding ideology, main objectives and working principles for establishing and improving the corruption punishment and prevention system, and emphasized the need to establish the basic framework for the corruption punishment and prevention by 2010. After a period of hard work, a long-term mechanism for ideological and moral education, a system for combating corruption and upholding integrity, and a monitoring mechanism for power operation shall be established, laying a foundation for the establishment of the sound corruption punishment and prevention system. The report of the 17th CPC National Congress pointed out that while adhering to the policy of “treatment of both symptoms and root causes, comprehensive treatment, simultaneous punishment and prevention, and emphasis on prevention”, we shall solidly advance the construction of the corruption punishment and prevention system, pay more attention to treatment of root cause, prevention, and system construction, and expand the work fields of corruption prevention and control from the source.

The report of the 18th CPC National Congress pointed out that it is required to comprehensively promote the construction of the corruption punishment and prevention system, so as to realize honest and upright cadres, clean and incorruptible governments and political integrity. The CPC Central Committee issued the “2008-2012 Work Plan for Establishing and Improving the Corruption Punishment and Prevention System” and the “2013-2017 Work Plan for Establishing and Improving the Corruption Punishment and Prevention System” on May 13, 2008 and December 26, 2013, respectively, making specific work arrangements for establishing and improving the corruption punishment and prevention system. In October 2015, the CPC Central Committee promulgated the “Communist Party of China's Integrity and Self-Discipline Guidelines” and the “Communist Party of China's Disciplinary Measures”, which adhere to taking the Party constitution as the fundamental follow, and further specify the requirements of the Party constitution on discipline, integrity and self-discipline. Since the Reform and Opening-up, the CPChas taken a series of vigorous measures, initially explored a way to effectively combat corruption and uphold integrity under the new historical conditions, and formed a series of important thoughts on combating corruption and upholding integrity.

The basic experience includes: adhering to advancing with the times in the guiding ideology, using the developing Marxism to guide the practices of improving Party conduct and upholding integrity and anti-corruption work, deepening reforms, innovating systems and mechanisms, and focusing on preventing and solving corruption from the source, adhering to and improving the anti-corruption leadership system and working mechanism, forming an overall anti-corruption force, adhering to “treatment of both symptoms and root causes, comprehensive treatment, simultaneous punishment and prevention, and emphasis on prevention”, strengthening the innovation in anti-corruption systems and mechanisms and system guarantees in the spirit of reform, promoting political integrity, and striving to achieve honest and upright cadres, clean and incorruptible governments and political integrity.