[JURIST] A senior Chinese official said Tuesday that the government plans to establish a "National Corruption Prevention Bureau" to ensure China's compliance with the UN Convention Against Corruption [UN materials], which China signed in 2005. The proposed bureau is another step forward in China's fight against widespread corruption, following a year in which over 97,000 Chinese officials were found guilty of bribery and other financial misconduct [BBC report]. PTI has more.

In January, Chinese President Hu Jintao [People's Daily profile] promised to confront corruption [JURIST report] in a speech focused on four measures: improving ethics education, reform of both the official system and procedures, arresting high-profile offenders, and focusing on the offenses that most affect the public interest. In October, China's chief justice called for judicial reform [JURIST report] in the face of court corruption and systemic failures to implement court orders, several days after three Chinese judges were arrested for bribery [JURIST report]. A Chinese official was arrested in September in connection with a pension plan scandal [JURIST report], and in June, the Communist Party announced increases in jail time and fines for those responsible for industrial accidents and white collar crimes.