[JURIST] China’s President Xi Jinping [BBC profile] declared on Friday that the nation’s battle against corruption “must go deeper,” stressing the need for the Communist Party [official website] to be governed “systematically, creatively and efficiently.” Upon becoming party chief in 2013, Xi had set in motion a broad campaign to root out corruption [Nikkei report] among high-level officials. Xi has since stated his intention to establish a system that fully monitors all members of the public sector. Instead of utilizing an independent anti-corruption body, the Communist Party has thus far implemented its own watchdog group, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) [official website, in Chinese]. While Xi has stated that the party is capable of policing itself, critics have highlighted [South China Morning Post report] the CCDI’s need for external supervision. The CCDI recently acknowledged such criticisms and declared plans to create a stronger checks and balances system amongst its discipline officers. The CCDI’s plenary meeting, which began on Friday, will continue [VOA report] for two more days and allow the Communist Party to further address such issues.

Following Xi’s promise to root out corruption, numerous officials, such as Zhou Yongkang, the former head of China’s domestic security services,and Ling Jihua, a senior aide to former President Hu Jinato, have received [Reuters report] life sentences for their corruption charges. Thus far, Yongkang was the most senior official to be convicted [BBC report] of corruption charges in the history of China’s Communist regime. Last month, the Chinese government announced [JURIST report] that it will prosecute Ma Jian, a former vice minister of China’s Ministry of State Security, on bribery charges. China’s Communist party exerts a strong influence over its courts systems, making it likely [NYT report] that Jian and all other officials that may face prosecution in the future will be convicted. Earlier last month, the Chinese government also arrested [JURIST report] Iat Hong and Chin Hung of Macau, and Bo Zheng of China on cybersecurity allegations. In October 2015, Chinese authorities arrested [JURIST report] individual hackers that allegedly misappropriated commercial secrets from US firms with the intention to sell proprietary information to state-owned entires within the the People’s Republic of China.