China’s Xi stresses reforms on Communist Party birthday

By Mahmut Atanur

BEIJING (AA) – Chinese President Xi Jinping has warned against corruption and stressed the need to pursue reforms on the 95th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Xi, also the CPC’s secretary general, vowed Friday to continue combatting graft, which he described as "the biggest threat to the ruling party", state news agency Xinhua reported.

He assured that an anti-corruption drive launched in 2013 -- under which tens of thousands of suspects have been investigated, including dozens of high-profile individuals at the top of the CPC -- was gaining ground.

"We will maintain our zero-tolerance attitude toward corruption and look into every case involving corruption, leaving no place to hide for corrupt officials within the Party," Xi stressed.

He called on the party’s members, who according to Xinhua number more than 88 million, to uphold political integrity, act in accordance with its Central Committee policy and maintain its “upright work style”.

"If we can not manage the Party well and govern the Party strictly, leaving prominent problems within the Party unsettled, our Party will sooner or later lose its qualifications to govern and will unavoidably be consigned to history," the president warned.

Stressing the need to improve the “socialism with Chinese characteristics”, he urged authorities to "conduct surgeries for chronic, stubborn diseases", "break the shelters of vested interests" and "sweep out obstacles hampering development."