Shanghai Party chief Xi Jinping told delegates to the Ninth
Shanghai Party Congress on Thursday that lessons had to be learnt
from the social security fund scandal.
Fifty-three-year-old Xi, who was appointed Shanghai Party chief
in the wake of a corruption scandal which cost his predecessor Chen
Liangyu his job, made the remarks at the Ninth Shanghai Municipal
Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) which opened on
Thursday.
He said the social security fund scandal had revealed inadequate
supervision of senior cadres and a lack of integrity among some
leaders who put their personal interests before those of the
Party.
Xi, who took office in March this year, stressed that
supervision over government officials should be reinforced to
ensure the "power bestowed by the people serves the people's
interests".
He also called for transparency in the operation of departments
that come under close public scrutiny such as those in the finance
and assets management sectors.
Xi also outlined goals to keep the unemployment rate under 4.5
percent, provide 100,000 households with government subsidized
low-rent housing and extend the total length of the subway lines to
500 km.
Former Shanghai Party chief Chen Liangyu was sacked last year
from his post for his involvement in the Shanghai pension fund
scandal. Officials misappropriated 3.7 billion yuan (US$483
million) from the fund to invest in risky real estate, road and
other projects.
(Xinhua News Agency May 24, 2007)