China vowed its "strike hard" anti-crime drive would...

China vowed its "strike hard" anti-crime drive would remain a priority in 2003, with busting corrupt officials a top priority, official media reported. "Maintaining the strike hard policy, and the continuation of the protection of (social) stability are the priorities," the Procuratorial Daily said. The fight against corrupt government officials was a key component of a campaign that was criticized by human rights groups as significantly boosting the number of executions in China. The daily said it was necessary "to reinforce investigations and the prevention of professional crimes in order to build an honest and diligent government." Improving the legal system was also important, it added, "to reinforce control over legal proceedings to ensure the equity of the legal system and social justice."State press reported that more than 3.5 million "criminals" have been prosecuted in China since 1998, including 200,000 government officials and 24,000 police officers. The "strike hard" campaign was launched in April 2001 and subsequently extended for a year. China does not publish statistics on executions, but it is widely thought to execute more people each year than the rest of the world combined.