The Beijing Municipal People's Government has introduced a "sunshine" policy aimed at curbing corruption and building a clean government.
The policy requires all government officials put all the major activities under public scrutiny by declaring major personal matters such as building or purchasing a home, sending children to study abroad, and wedding ceremonies for their children.
The move is reminiscent of the unwritten practice more than two decades ago when government officials and members of the Communist Party of China were required to report on major personal matters, such as choosing spouses, in order to ensure political integrity.
The reinstating of the practice is in line with the current anti-corruption campaign in Beijing to save face lost by the corruption case of former vice mayor Wang Baosen in 1995.
Wang committed suicide when he learned that he was investigated for corruption.
Earlier, the income-declaration system was introduced for leading officials.
According to Beijing Mayor Liu Qi, major matter and income declaration constitute only part of the 35 tasks identified by the city government in building a clean government and fighting corruption.
Other tasks include open administrative affairs, public recruiting of government officials, and economic auditing of officials during their terms of office.
Mayor Liu Qi told reporters at the National People's Congress that Beijing is determined to make the 2008 Summer Olympic Games not only the "best," but also the "cleanest" ever staged.
"All the major preparations will be made public on the Internet, and the process of preparations will be made transparent," said the mayor, who is the president of the Olympics organizing committee.
He said financial and engineering supervision subcommittees have been set up under the organizing committee, including independent supervisors from all walks of life.
Corruption still remains one of the top concerns of the general public, according to a recent survey conducted by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, although great successes have been made to arrest the momentum of growth of corruption.
Over the years, central authorities have been firm in reining in corruption and the anti-corruption stance has been toughened, Xinhua news agency reported.
The year 2000 saw a number of high-ranking officials put behind bars or executed for taking the law into their own hands.
They included Cheng Kejie, former vice chairman of the NPC Standing Committee. Cheng was the highest-ranking official sentenced to death for corruption since the founding of New China in 1949.
(eastday.com March 14, 2002)
