BEIJING -- The Chinese government will continue to take tough measures to combat corruption in this year and will improve the work standards and lifestyles of leading cadres, according to an article carried by the Procuratorial Daily.

Wang Zhaoyao, ex-deputy chairman of the Anhui provincial committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), was sentenced to death with two-year reprieve on corruption charges on January 12, just days after the seventh plenary session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

"It shows the intensity of the country's fight against corruption will not be reduced this year," said the newspaper.

Improve standards among leading cadres

President Hu Jintao, also General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, delivered a 3,200-word speech on January 9 at the plenary session with the emphasis on enhancing cadres' standards comprehensively, ideologically, in study, in work, in leadership and in lifestyle.

Hu called leading cadres to create a "healthy atmosphere" by:

-- studying diligently and putting the study into practice;

-- always bearing the masses in mind and serving the people;

-- working in a down-to-earth way and ensuring practical results, vigorously advocating the pursuit of truth and pragmatism;

-- working hard and persevering; being diligent and frugal;

-- taking the overall situation into account and strictly enforcing orders and prohibitions;

-- developing democracy and working in unity;

-- exercising power impartially and performing official duties honestly;

-- leading an honest life.

Ren Jianming, a clean government researcher of Qinghua University, said leading cadres were public figures, whose views and values influenced the views and values of society, and improving their work standards and lifestyles was extremely important.

Education and supervision were both important for building a clean Party, the Procuratorial Daily quoted him as saying. FIVE ANTI-CORRUPTION BATTLEFIELDS

The communique released at the seventh plenary session of the CCDI pointed out five major battlefields in the fight against corruption in 2007.

-- Illegal property deals. Officials who purchase commercial housing at prices far lower than market prices by taking advantage of the influence of their posts will be harshly dealt with;

-- Illegally using others' vehicles. Officials who occupy and use borrowed houses and vehicles, but fail to return them, will be punished;

-- Gambling. Officials who gamble or seek illicit money in activities like gambling will be punished;

-- Illegal investment. Officials who seek illegal profits by taking advantage of their posts to entrust others to invest in the stock market will be seriously dealt with.

-- Nepotism and cronyism. Seeking other forms of illegal earnings for themselves and their relatives and friends will be seriously dealt with.

Li Jingping, vice director of the clean government research center under the Xi'an Jiaotong University, said the five major anti-corruption fields highlighted by the CCDI were the fields in which corruption was always detected and the public was greatly concerned about.

"If corruption in the five fields were effectively prevented and curbed, the Party's clean government drive would progress greatly," he said.