Three Chinese lawmakers and four political advisors' memberships were terminated on Wednesday, bringing the total number of ousted deputies and members of the country's top legislature and advisory body in recent four years to around 30.

The decisions were made ahead of the last annual plenary sessions of the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) and the 10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), slated for March 5 and 3.

The current NPC has nearly 3,000 deputies and the CPPCC National Committee has more than 2,000 members, who hold a five-year tenure.

Allegedly involved in corruption or economic violations, the seven disgraced former political elites included two former ministerial-level officials, namely Qiu Xiaohua, former head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), and Zheng Xiaoyu, former director of the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA).

They may face other punishment and criminal penalties.

CPPCC member Qiu, already sacked from his administrative post and expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC), was suspected to be involved in a social security fund fraud in Shanghai, which led to the downfall of the city's Party chief Chen Liangyu last year.

The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said Qiu had taken bribes from enterprise owners, led a dissolute life and committed the crime of bigamy when he served as a leader of the NBS.

Zheng, also CPPCC member, allegedly abused the drug administration's approval authority by taking bribes and turned a blind eye to malpractice by relatives and subordinate officials.

Premier Wen Jiabao in January this year ordered a thorough investigation into the corruption allegations against Zheng.

During the past four years, at least 24 NPC deputies were expelled from the national parliament for graft and other law and discipline breaches, including former deputy commander of the navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Wang Shouye and provincial chief procurators and top judges of Jiangxi, Heilongjiang and Hunan provinces.

Eye-catching names on the dismissed CPPCC members list over the past four years included former vice governors of Sichuan and Henan provinces Li Dachang and Lu Debin, and  former chairwoman of the CPPCC Heilongjiang Provincial Committee Han Guizhi, who was given death penalty with a two-year reprieve.

They were expelled for taking briberies and other discipline breaches.

The fact that so many NPC deputies and CPPCC members have been stripped of their memberships for graft demonstrated China's intensive efforts in fighting corruption and building clean parliamentary and advisory bodies, experts said.
 
An online poll launched in the run-up to the NPC and CPPCC National Committee sessions shows that anti-graft is still one of the most concerned issues among Chinese People.

Pointing out that the country's anti-graft task remains "arduous",  Chinese President Hu Jintao said at a discipline inspection meeting early this year that the Party and government should step up efforts to improve the anti-corruption system and incorporate the work of fighting corruption into economic, political, cultural and social constructions.

Statistics show that from 2003 to Oct. 2006, China's prosecuting organs at all levels tackled 67,505 graft-related criminal suspects.

In addition to Qiu Xiaohua and Zheng Xiaoyu, Li Pinsan, former chairman of the Industry and Commerce Federation of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, was also expelled from the CPPCC National Committee on Wednesday for alleged illegal fund-raising.

The Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee also accepted the resignation of He Linxiang, former head of the Agricultural Development Bank of China who had received punishment because of discipline violations.

The three NPC deputies ousted on Wednesday were Liu Weiming, 68, former vice chairman of the CPPCC Guangdong Provincial Committee, Deng Zhonghua, former president of Hunan Chendian International Development Co., Ltd, and Li Yichao, former board chairman of Luoyang Zhongtai Group in central Henan Province.

They were expelled for alleged tax evasion or involvement in corruption.

(Xinhua News Agency March 1, 2007)