Chinese Communist Party leader Hu Jintao said on Monday China would continue its fight against corruption and improve the Party's style of work, while improving inner-Party supervision of leading Party officials.

Addressing the Third Plenary Session of the Party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Hu, also president of the country, said the Party will remain tough in its determination to investigate and handle major and important corruption cases.

On corrupt officials, Hu, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), said the Party will investigate and punish whoever is found guilty of corruption.

The Party shall never be appeasing any corrupt officials, or be soft-hearted toward them, he told the meeting, which began on Sunday.

On the other hand, the Party will also give priority to rectifying unhealthy tendencies, which the general public strongly complained about. They include impartiality in the work of government officials and departments, seeking personal gains using their power, or harming the legitimate interests of the public or individuals, Hu said.

The Party leader said the CPC has set the targets of punishing and preventing corruption in line with the changing situation through improved mechanism for education, institution-building and supervision.

The Party will step up its ideological, ethical and discipline education to prevent corruption among officials, improve its institutional framework to curb corruption and encourage officials to remain clean, and set up a mechanism to ensure government powers are used properly through better supervision, said Hu.

Hu said the Party will improve supervision of leading Party and government officials at various levels through the supervision of the Party, government departments, the general public, the mass media and other ways.

The general secretary said the Party shall set up and improve mechanisms to ensure the Party officials seek truths and be down-to-earth in their work, including the mechanism of selecting and appointing Party and government officials.

Other senior Party leaders, Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Zeng Qinghong, Huang Ju, Li Changchun and Luo Gan attended the meeting, which was presided over by Wu Guanzheng, secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

(Xinhua News Agency January 13, 2004)