China ends anti-graft campaign

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ended the much-publicised 'Mass line campaign' aimed at improving the sagging image of the ruling Communist Party during which over 1.62 lakh 'phantom staff' were sacked, 74,000 officials punished and around USD nine billion saved.
The 15-months-long campaign was started by Xi after he took over power last year to boost ties between CPC officials and the public, while focusing on cleaning up undesirable work styles such as formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance.
The completion of the campaign was marked with a conference attended by all seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee, China's most powerful body and broadcast live to government officials and military officers.

Addressing the conference, Xi vowed to make the campaign a start for stricter party discipline.
In a major crackdown on corrupt officials, over 1.62 lakh phantom staff were sacked, 74,000 party officials punished and around USD 9 billion saved, during the campaign.
Nearly 8,200 people were punished for using public money to give gifts and pay for dining, drinking and entertainment activities.

Expenditure of public funds on government vehicles, officials' overseas trips and official receptions were also reduced by USD 8.6 billion over the past year, as part of the campaign.
A commentary in the People's Daily yesterday compared the campaign to the Long March (1934-36) and noted that both the initiatives indicated that the party's development relies on the people, Xinhua News Agency reported.

News of the 'mass line' campaign's close comes less than two weeks ahead of a highly-anticipated conclave known as the Fourth Plenum, at which party leaders will set policy goals and focus on the chosen theme of 'rule of law'.
Commenting on the campaign's importance, Zhang Xixian, Professor, Party School of the CPC Central Committee said, "The Party authority has realised that its leadership could be endangered if it does not take effective measures to correct those wrongdoings".
"Although the mass line campaign has concluded, observers said that such a drive to tighten Party discipline should be normalised and become institutionalised in the future," said Xu Yaotong, a professor with the Department of Research at the Chinese Academy of Governance.