China's Communist Youth League pledges to stamp out corruption among officials
Organisation has come under strong criticism by state media for failing to tackle graft
China’s Communist Youth League Central Committee will carry out reforms including stamping out corruption and adhering to “strict political discipline”, according to a report published on the website of the country’s top anti-graft body.
The youth league, a stronghold of former president Hu Jintao, is widely seen as a training ground for elite positions within the party, but it has come under fire from state media in recent months over corruption scandals and inefficiency.
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Cadres have been punished for offences from embezzlement and using their positions to seek favours as well as smaller offences such as misusing shared vehicles, according to the anti-graft body, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
President Xi Jinping has launched a widespread campaign against corruption, targeting both high- and low-ranking officials in sectors from the military to state-owned enterprises.
The campaign has also felled many of Xi’s political opponents, including Zhou Yongkang, the country’s once powerful domestic security tsar.
The report says the youth league’s leadership will work to enforce “party discipline”, a Communist Party euphemism for anti-graft measures.