Chinese President Hu Jintao on Tuesday pledged to step up the nation's anti-corruption campaign in his keynote speech at a high-profile plenum of the Communist Party's anti-graft watchdog.

Hu, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made the remarks at a plenary session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the CPC. The two-day session ending on Tuesday was presided over by He Guoqiang, head of the CCDI.

Hu called on all CPC members to "fully understand the situation and task of the anti-corruption campaign, which is lasting, complicated and arduous."

"Anti-corruption measures and the upholding of integrity should run thoroughly through the nation's economic, political and cultural makeup and the Party's ideological, organizational, work style and institutional building," he said.

The president pointed out that prevention and punishment should be "put on an equal footing" in the anti-corruption combat, and "symptoms and root causes should be addressed at the same time."

The Party should continue to work on investigating corruption cases, boost prevention, remove the "soil breeding corruption", and sternly punish crooked officials in line with the law, he said.

Hu said education, supervision and punishment should be combined together to create "a better atmosphere, system and legal base for the fight against corruption."

"The Party must seriously deal with major corruption cases that greatly infringe upon public interests," he added.

Hu said Party committees at all levels should take responsibility in the anti-corruption battle and the role of anti-graft bodies should be given full play.

The establishment of National Bureau of Corruption Prevention (NBCP) in last September displayed that the country's anti-graft system had shifted from penalties and crackdowns to a comprehensive approach.

The NBCP enjoys the right to collect and analyze information from sources, including banks, land records, medical facilities and telecom, and share it with prosecutors, courts and police, according to a statement issued upon its founding.

Meanwhile, the CCDI, which initiates the investigation of alleged corrupt officials, last year issued a set of crucial regulations that clarify "new forms" of bribery.

Wu Bangguo, Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Li Changchun, Xi Jinping, Li Keqiang and Zhou Yongkang, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, were present at the CCDI session.

(Xinhua News Agency January 16, 2008)