China will boost inspection of land transactions and launch a full-scale onslaught on corruption arising from the transfer of land ownership, according to a meeting of the National Audit Office (NAO).

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China issued a circular on the country's anti-corruption drive at the beginning of 2006, defining 11 tasks to be implemented by the NAO.

"We will continue to devote ourselves to the tasks specified in the circular," said Linghu An, deputy head of the NAO.

"We will cooperate with government departments to investigate corruption cases involving large amounts of money and high-level officials, as well as cases leading to the waste of money and energy," Linghu said.

He urged NAO officials to particularly target cases in the areas of financial trading, construction, the ownership and transfer of state-owned enterprises and the ownership and transfer of land.

"We will intensify audits of cadres and senior officials and pay special attention to government liability, major construction projects and environmental protection projects," he said.

He said officials working in audit departments must be irreproachable in their observance of the law and should have a close look at their own finances.

"The audit organs, which supervise other government departments, must be supervised too," he said.

"Anyone who violates laws and disciplines will be severely punished," he warned.

(Xinhua News Agecny November 22, 2006)