"Corruption spoils the image of the Party and the government, alienates the relationship between the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the people and harms the reform and construction of the nation," Xie Yong, a newly elected CPPCC member, said in an exclusive interview yesterday.

Moreover, the existence of corruption cases may put foreigners off from investing in China, as they care a great deal about the investing environment, said Xie, who is a member of the China Association for Promoting Democracy and vice-president of the High People's Court of Hunan Province.

To fight against corruption, he suggested the strengthening of procedure supervision, which means to make clear to the public the process of implementation of power, instead of launching a simple crackdown on corrupt officials.

He added that the low income of some civil servants or government officials could encourage some to indulge in corrupt practices.

He suggested the setting up of a special fund to reward honest officials, ensuring that they can live a decent and comfortable life after retirement.

Drawing a lesson from the Independent Commission Against Corruption in Hong Kong, Xie said the Chinese mainland should teach common people the value of citizenship.

He said CPPCC plays an important role in the fight against corruption.

For example, in March 1995, Huang Jingjun and four other CPPCC members brought forward a proposal demanding the establishment of a bureau to fight against corruption and bribery under the Supreme People's Procuratorate. Later that year, such a bureau came into being.

Statistics indicated that China's various procuratorate departments dealt with 171,387 cases of corruption between 1998 and 2002, recouping more than 20 billion yuan (US$2.4 billion) in economic losses.

Xiu Fujin, a CPPCC member from Jilin Province, said the figures showed the strong resolution of the CPC to fight corruption by involving people from all walks of life.

(China Daily March 5, 2003)