It was a wildly popular idea but it got no further than being a proposal at last year's annual session of the National People's Congress.
The idea, put forward by Shandong delegate Wang Quanjie, was for all Communist Party members and government officials to declare their incomes and financial interests to an independent body, as a way of introducing greater transparency into the country's administration and addressing widespread public dissatisfaction about corruption. Official corruption is a major source of public resentment, according to research conducted last year by the State Council's China Development Research Foundation.
In a foundation survey, 63 per cent of respondents thought official corruption was to blame for social inequality.
Mr Wang said such a system would put officials on notice and senior cadres could set a good example by signing on. But indications are that his proposal garnered little government support and it is unlikely to gain a second airing during this year's session.
Mr Wang said although many, including some senior officials, had backed the proposal, it was unlikely to become a reality in the next five years.
'The public response was very positive and so were the media, but the obstacles are enormous,' he said.
'People complained there were many obstacles when it came to setting up such a system.
