Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, has vowed to unswervingly fight corruption. The commitment came in a speech at a plenary meeting of the Party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Xi has stressed that the fight against corruption is a long-term, complicated and arduous task. He said the fight must address both the symptoms and root causes, and combine punishment with prevention, with an emphasis on prevention. He has also urged those who attended the meeting to push forward the building of clean governance and the anti-corruption war.

The campaign against corruption has been rising in China in recent months with more violations by local officials being revealed by the media. More than 660,000 officials have been punished for disciplinary violations since 2007. Among them, over 60 were at the ministerial and provincial level.

(CNTV.cn January 22, 2013)