国内英语新闻:Anti-graft officials ordered to probe all major state construction projects

BEIJING, March. 4 (Xinhua) -- Anti-corruption authorities of the Chinese government and the Communist Party of China (CPC) have been ordered to make sweeping investigations of all major state-funded construction projects begun since 2008.

The order was issued at a conference on Thursday on cleaning up the construction sector in 2010.

The investigations would cover the bidding and tendering processes, land use rights, construction quality and transparency of the entire process, said He Yong, deputy secretary of the CPC's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the CPC's anti-graft body, at the meeting.

He, also head of the national team to stop corruption in construction projects, said 2010 would be a crucial year in stepping up the fight against corruption and misconduct in the construction sector.

He warned anti-corruption authorities to take the investigations seriously.

"Those who are merely going through the motions will be held accountable," He said, according to a statement issued after the conference.

The fight against corruption and misconduct in the construction sector would contribute to steady and relatively fast economic growth, he said.

Since the initiation of a nationwide two-year campaign against the corruption and misconduct in construction sector in July last year, the country's discipline inspection authorities had investigated 5,803 cases linked to the construction sector, and had penalized 3,374 people, said the statement.