BON VOYAGE: A marine displays signal flags as the Chinese naval destroyer Qingdao sailed out of Sydney Harbor on October 6, after taking part in an international fleet review in the Australian city (ZHA CHUNMING)

Online Whistleblowers

A website that was opened by the top disciplinary agency of the Communist Party of China (CPC) has received an average of 827 corruption tip-offs daily since its launch. The website made the announcement on October 8.

The website, www.ccdi.gov.cn, was run by the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC in conjunction with the Ministry of Supervision, in order to improve communication and interaction between the departments and the public.

In the first month since its launch on September 2, a total of 24,800 reports were submitted. In comparison, there was an average of 300 reports received daily between April and August.

As of October 2, the website had had more than 4,200 registered users.

The website hosts 10 services, including an online forum where the public can make proposals, share opinions and ask questions about anti-corruption efforts.

In addition to receiving tip-offs, the website publishes the latest information on graft investigations.

The public can also access a database of Party regulations and laws related to corruption on the website.

Fund Management

On October 8, the Chinese Government vowed to reinforce management of public funds used for social programs, such as funds for poverty-relief.

According to a statement released by the State Council, recent audits have found that some localities falsified eligibility information when claiming the funds, embezzled them or otherwise failed to channel the funds to those they were intended for, at the same time implementing weak supervision over their use and allocation.

To effectively manage such funds, the government decided to clarify the responsibilities of authorities at different levels. County-level governments are responsible for assigning funds to various poverty-reduction projects, while provincial and city governments should act as supervisors.

Individuals in need of poverty relief will be entered into a database so that funds can be distributed to villages and households identified by authorities.

Innovative fund management strategies, such as governmental procurement of social services using the funds and financial institution involvement in poverty reduction projects, were encouraged, the statement said.

Warning System

China has revealed plans to develop a system that will be capable of issuing early warnings regarding geological and environmental risks.

According to government regulations released on October 8, county-level governments will be responsible for their own systems, which are to be used to publish data and results from monitoring and issue warnings if readings indicate abnormal situations.

The regulations prohibit any organizations or individuals from publishing environmental data before they have been reviewed and approved by relevant county-level government officials.

Local governments are also required to take active measures to prevent possible risks.

Under the new regulations, construction companies must hire appropriate institutions to conduct environmental appraisal before launching projects, and they will be held accountable for any negative effects caused by their operations.