Local civil servants decorate a themed wall at an exhibition featuring combating corruption and building a clean government in Nantong, East China’s Jiangsu Province. Photo: IC

Five incumbent or former highly ranked executives from five state-owned companies are under investigation, as China’s top anti-corruption watchdog is stepping up anti-graft efforts. 

According to a statement released by the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) on its official website on Sunday, the five incumbent or former executives include Gong Lixin, deputy Party secretary and general manager from China National Petroleum Corporation Shared Operations Company, Xiong Aiguo, former Party secretary and general manager of the special equipment division of Dongfeng Motor Corporation, Jia Jinfu, deputy general manager from the Costar Group of China South Industries Group Corporation, Wang Xiuyang, former general manager from Faw Logistics Co (Foshan), and Gu Weimin, former deputy general manager from Sumstar Company of Genertec Chinalight company, have been placed under disciplinary examination and supervision investigation for suspected serious violations of disciplines and laws.  

The five suspects are the latest batch of officials placed under investigation after the country strengthened efforts in tackling corruption and other types of disciplinary violations since the beginning of this year. 

As of the first quarter of this year, China’s top anti-corruption watchdog has filed 138,000 cases and punished 111,000 people across the country. Among them, one official was at the ministerial level, and 633 were at the bureau level. 

In the first quarter, disciplinary inspection organs nationwide received 776,000 whistleblower letters from the public, among which 231,000 were for prosecution and complaint purposes. They have addressed 358,000 allegations of various types, and filed 138,000 cases. 

Besides, some 339,000 people were punished or educated by the disciplinary inspection organs nationwide in the first quarter.  

China has continued concentrated efforts in resolutely punishing corruption with comprehensive anti-graft campaigns being carried out since the beginning of this year in different sectors such as sports and finance. 

A total of 15 central leading groups of the Central Leading Group for Inspection Work have been dispatched to 21 organs under inspection since April 8 in the second round of inspection, including a group scheduled to work at China’s General Administration of Sport (GAS), to handle letters, calls and visits from the public on the problems of the GAS officials, especially about their violations of political, organizational, integrity and work discipline.

In the financial sector, a total of eight senior executives from large state-owned banks were put under investigation in March alone, according to media reports. 

Since January, the CCDI highlighted anti-corruption work in key sectors with high concentrations of power, funds and resources, such as finance, state-owned enterprises, and law enforcement departments, as well as the nation's grain purchasing and marketing system, according to the Xinhua News Agency. 

To tackle the new challenges, disciplinary authorities nationwide have adopted new technologies and measures such as big data to step up and improve the efficiency of anti-corruption efforts.