Liu's remarks were released a day after three cabinet departments, also including the National Development and Reform Commission and State Administration for Industry and Commerce, agreed to launch a one-year campaign to regulate the real estate market.

The Ministry of Construction, together with the Supreme People's Procuratorate, demonstrated their determination to combat corruption by making public 20 major cases of bribery in the construction sector yesterday, officials said.

Most of the cases involved government employees in charge of urban planning, project approval and evaluation of contractors' financial assessments, Liu said.

He cited the example of Bi Yuxi, the former vice-director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Communications and chairman and Party secretary of the Beijing Capital Highway Development Company, who was sentenced to death with a reprieve for embezzling State assets and taking bribes.

"Bribes come in all forms. It can be cash, gifts, consulting charges, or school fees for children," said the vice-minister. "Corrupt officials abuse their power if they take bribes or make personal profits for others," said Liu, adding those offering bribes were seeking advantages in the market and illegal profits.

These cases not only disturb the market order of construction, real estate and city planning, but also harm national and public interests as a whole, said Wang Jianming, director of the Bureau against Graft and Bribery under the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

From January to July, China's procuratorial organs dealt with 1,608 corruption cases in the construction sector, about 26.31 per cent of the country's total, he said.

"The anti-bribery struggle in the construction sector is quite arduous," said Wang.

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