Wei Jianxing, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made these remarks while discussing Jiang Zemin's report to the 16th CPC National Congress with delegates from East China's Zhejiang Province.

Jiang's report serves as a guide to building a more well-off society and promoting socialist modernization, Wei said. It is also of profound significance to achieving the revitalization of the Chinese nation along the socialist path, he added.

Led by the third-generation leadership of China with Jiang Zemin at the center and guided by Deng Xiaoping Theory and Jiang's "Three Represents," the anti-corruption moves have been conducted well and great achievements have been made, said Wei, who is also secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

He added that corruption in the Party and government departments and among officials has been more or less checked.

"The practice of fighting corruption over the past 13 years fully shows that the third-generation leadership with Jiang Zemin at the core has a sober understanding of the anti-corruption situation," Wei said.

The Central Committee of the Party has held a firm stand in combating corruption. "Any corrupt member, either on high or low position, is set to meet with severe punishment once his malconduct is exposed and confirmed," he stressed.

Wei said a review of anti-corruption work over the past 13 years indicates that the Party's ideology and practice of combating corruption conforms with national conditions.

"Our Party is fully capable of resolving the corruption problem," Wei said.

Meanwhile, "we should also see clearly that anti-corruption situation remains severe," Wei said, noting that corruption may occur in the reform and restructuring process.

"We should be aware that anti-corruption is a long-term endeavor and understand that it is a pressing task. We should make unremitting efforts to fight against corruption," Wei said.

Wei stressed that Party methods should be improved.

"We must rely also on pre-emptive measures such as strengthening education, developing democracy, improving the legal system and tightening supervision in anti-corruption work," he said.

(Xinhua News Agency November 10, 2002)