The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) held its “2005 meeting on building a fine work style of the Party, an honest and clean government and combating corruption” on March 22, 2005. The meeting carefully studied the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council’s Third Meeting on Building an Honest and Clean Government, reviewed MOST’s efforts in building a fine work style of the Party, an honest and clean government and combating corruption last year, and made comprehensive deployment for this year’s work. Prof. XU Guanhua, Minister of Science and Technology, pointed out in his report that the anti-corruption plan and requirements put forward by the central authorities must be implemented, the establishment of a regime for punishing and preventing corruption must be promoted, reform and system innovation must be accelerated, and greater efforts must be made in preventing corruption.

Minister XU looked back on the 2004 anti-corruption efforts. He said that last year MOST, by taking careful measures and stronger supervision, achieved new progress in building a fine work style of the Party, honest and clean government and combating corruption, adding that these achievements were come by because MOST followed the State Council’s requirements and deployment in conducting education in political thought and discipline, laws and regulations, practice tighter supervision and examination, further enhanced self-discipline and honesty of leaders, carefully dealt with letters and calls (letters of complaint from the people and the calls they make to lodge complaints), reports, and case investigations, carried on administration in accordance with the law, and advanced permanent control at the original source. However, fighting corruption and building an honest and clean government is a long-term and complex task. Some comrades are rather weak in their awareness to resist corruption and prevent peaceful evolution (from socialism to capitalism). In particular, there still exist some weak points and leakages in the science and technology administration work, which can easily give rise to corruption. Some organizations do not have adequate supervision over the usage of power and are not firm in enforcing the laws and regulations and policies of combating corruption. He pointed out that great importance must be attached to these problems; political awareness and awareness of the whole situation must be raised; the sense of hardship and responsibility must be heightened; and incessant efforts must be made in building an honest and clean government.

On January 3, 2005, the central authorities officially issued “The Outline for Implementing the Establishment of a Regime for Punishing and Preventing Corruption by Laying Equal Stress on Education, System, and Supervision”. At the Fifth Plenary Session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CPC, President HU Jintao said that the Outline clarified the guidelines, major aims and basic requirements of the regime for punishing and preventing corruption; it embodies the spirit of treating both the root cause and the symptoms with emphasis on the root cause, and directing more efforts to the prevention of corruption. Premier WEN Jiabao required government at all levels and all leaders fully comprehend the strategic arrangement by the central authorities for fighting corruption and promoting honest clean government, and further enhance their awareness of the extreme importance of the work in fighting corruption and promoting honest clean government.

Minister XU pointed out that corruption hurts the interests of the people, damages the close ties between the CPC and the people, and undermines the Party’s ruling foundation and power. Thus, the establishment of the regime for punishing and preventing corruption is an important part of the great project to enhance the Party’s ruling foundation and power and to promote all-round party construction. He required that the CPC committees, commissions for discipline inspection, and supervisory committees at all levels in MOST make a deep study and have a precise mastery of the essence of the Outline, in particular the principle of laying equal emphasis on education, system and supervision; and promote the construction of the regime for punishing and preventing corruption in light of the particular circumstances of MOST. MOST and all the subsidiary CPC committees within its system should incorporate the study of the Outline into their plans of educating the CPC members about maintaining their advancedness. In particular, the members of leading bodies should take the lead in the study of the Outline and raise their self-consciousness and initiative in implementing the Outline. The Leading Party Group, offices and the leading bodies of the affiliated organizations should earnestly make concrete plans to implement the Outline, work out practical and effective measures such as a long-term mechanism for effective ideological and moral education, a regime system for fighting corruption and advocating honest and clean government and for monitoring and controlling power operation, so as to promote the gradual establishment of the regime of punishing and preventing corruption. For this purpose, Minister XU, on behalf of the Leading Party Group, put forward four requirements for the MOST and its subsidiary system:

Firstly, in the political aspect, to resolutely uphold the authority of the CPC central committee with President HU Jintao as the General Secretary, to ensure that MOST and its subsidiaries keep in line with the CPC central committee, so that S&T undertaking is subordinated to and in service of the general situation of stability in reform and development and give full play to the supporting and leading role of science and technology progress and innovation in socio-economic development and provide important guarantee for the long-term rule of the Party.

Secondly, in terms of ideology, we should strengthen the ideological and political construction and build up a tight line of defense against corruption and peaceful evolution (from socialism to capitalism). In line with the arrangement of the central authorities and in the context of education about maintaining the advancedness of the communists, we will carry out extensive education in ideological ethics, scientific ethics and law & discipline in the ranks of the administrative cadres of MOST in order to improve the political quality of the CPC members and cadres, to enable them to consciously resist the corrosive effects of various decadent ideologies and become fully aware of the importance of S&T undertaking in maintaining the Party's advancedness and improve the governance capacity of the CPC members and cadres of MOST.

Thirdly, in terms of discipline, we should insist on the policy of being strict with CPC members and government officials so as to uphold and execute the discipline of the Party. We should make an in-depth analysis of the work realm and the cadre structure of the science and technology administrative system, take effective measures against the conspicuous problems and let all CPC members especially leading cadres consciously observe the "four main rules of discipline and the eight requirements".

Fourthly, in terms of work-style, we should strengthen and improve the work style construction of the CPC and protect the image of the CPC and Government in the minds of the masses. We should insist on a correct outlook on achievements in official careers, energetically encourage the down-to-earth and truth-seeking style of work and stand firmly against the formalism and bureaucratism of cutting off from the masses, being alienated from reality and running counter to science. We must firmly stand out against practicing fraud and seeking short-term success and quick benefits. We should strengthen the communication and contact within the S&T administrative system throughout the country or even the entire scientific and technological circle. With one heart, we will build a network to supervise the improper behavior in faith, establish and improve the scientific evaluation and S&T credit system and promote the development of moral ethics of the scientific and technological circles. By means of advancedness education, we should do our best to improve the work quality and standard of MOST, enhance in real earnest the mass awareness of the CPC members and cadres of MOST and their consciousness of serving the people and modify the administrative work style genuinely and sincerely.

As to the key points of this year’s work, Minister XU proposed that reformation and institutional construction should be carried out in the four aspects: reforming and perfecting the decision-making mechanism; strengthening work on letters and calls, reports and case investigation and prosecution; adopting the responsibility system for CPC working style construction and building an honest and clean government; and strengthening the construction of the cadre force for discipline inspection and supervision. Minister XU noted that we should continue to carry out the "Implementation Outline for All-round Advancement of Administration according to Law"; the S&T plan management reform should be launched, the financial management system for state research plans should be improved; implementation of "Decision on Improving the S&T Evaluation Work" and "S&T Evaluation Methods" should be advanced; the state S&T awarding system should be reformed and improved; the S&T credit management mechanism should be gradually set up; reformation of the cadre personnel system should continue to be carried forward and the promotion of administrative transparency should be accelerated. He further pointed out that each unit should submit in due course grave problems reported by the masses to the MOST-stationed discipline inspection teams and supervision bureaus and to the discipline committees of directly affiliated institutions; the cases assigned with a requirement of result by the discipline inspection and supervision organs should be earnestly handled in time and the result must be reported with a sense of responsibility. He further said that in combination with the advancement of the construction of the punishment and prevention system, we should lose no time to revise and improve the "Method of MOST for Implementing the Responsibility System for the Construction of Party Work Style and Honest Clean Government" and "Method of MOST for Reviewing the Work of and Affixing Responsibility in the Implementation of the Responsibility System for the Construction of Party Work Style and Honest Clean Government" and integrate the work of combating corruption and building an honest and clean government into the overall work of S&T development with definite division of work, fixed responsibility, uniform plan and uniform implementation. 

LI Xueyong, Deputy Secretary of the Leading Party Members' Group and Vice Minister of Science and Technology presided over the meeting. Present at the meeting were all the staffs of MOST, leaders of affiliated institutions and S&T daily press, full-time and part-time discipline inspection and supervision cadres, retired CPC members, the CPC committee members of SCITECH Group Co., Ltd. as well as officials from the Ministry of Supervision of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.