国内英语新闻:China enhances processes for selection of officials to uproot corruption

BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Experts say the Party's promulgation of four documents on the selection and promotion of government and Party cadres will build a "total supervisory network" and cover the entire process of an official's career, from selection to retirement.

The four documents, promulgated Wednesday by the General Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, cover the selection and auditing of officials and set out penalties for those found guilty of misconduct in the selection and promotion of government and Party cadres.

Prof. Ye Duchu of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee said the documents "clarify the responsibilities of people in charge of selecting officials" and aim to prevent corruption and make the cadre selection process transparent.

Personnel departments at various levels are required to report personnel changes to superior departments before official appointments are made, and the appointments should be discussed by members of CPC committees of the same level.

Officials are also required to be audited before leaving their posts and penalized if they are found to be guilty of misconduct.

The selection and promotion of officials have been prone to public criticism in some areas.

According to the Party's disciplinary body in central Henan Province, nine of the 22 county-level Party chiefs that had been penalized for corruption since 2006 have been punished while in their posts while the 13 others were punished about one year after being promoted.

"It reflects shortcomings in the selection and promotion of cadres," Ye said.

Prof. Lu Wei of Wuhan University in central Hubei Province said the documents will help prevent the unmerited selection of officials and clarify rules.

China issued its first regulation on officials' selection in 1995. Later, it was amended to make it clearer, stressing "transparency," "competition" and "equal emphasis on both integrity and professional competence."

Lu said this time the new documents set out penalties for misconduct in the selection of officials.

A number of high-ranking officials were deposed or resigned in recent years due to take responsibility for failures, coal mine accidents and food safety scandals. But some of them won new posts shortly after being removed.

To address this issue, the new documents clarify that "officials who have been transferred to other posts for misconduct in selection and promotion of cadres will not be eligible for further promotion for one year," and "demoted officials will also be barred from promotion for two years."

Lu said the new documents will tighten regulation of officials' conduct and improve the credibility of officials' selection.