September 14, 2007	Friday	Ramazan 1, 1428

BEIJING, Sept 13: China on Thursday formally launched a new national bureau to battle government corruption through tightened monitoring of the financial activities of officials, state media said on Thursday.

Worsening corruption has become a key concern of the ruling Communist Party and the new body’s chief vowed the government was determined to pull it out by the roots, according to Xinhua news agency.

“The bureau has been founded to meet the need to prevent corruption in China effectively,” said Ma Wen, who was appointed last week as the head of the National Bureau of Corruption Prevention.

The bureau’s deputy head, Qu Wanxiang, said it would “monitor the flow of suspicious assets and suspicious corruption activities by establishing an information-sharing system among prosecuting organs, courts, police authorities and banks.” Qu said the agency’s primary focus would be government officials.

The financial information itself would be collected from such sources as banks and land use data.

“This is an important basic job for finding and exposing corruption as early as possible, a deterrent to corruption activities and an effective way to prevent corruption,” he said.

The Xinhua report marked the first time that details of the bureau’s work were made public.

It said the bureau’s work, however, would stop at information-sharing and it would not be involved in investigations.

Corruption has exploded in China as the country has transitioned to a more open economy while retaining a rigid communist governmental apparatus that affords bureaucrats ample opportunities for graft with little press oversight.

The agency has been established as President Hu Jintao prepares to cement his control over the Communist Party, and hence the country, during next month’s party Congress.

China currently has other national and party organs aimed at graft prevention, and the Xinhua report said it remained to be seen how the new body would work within existing frameworks.

—AFP