Officials from the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planning body, have started a training program to learn how to detect and combat corruption.

The 110-plus officials, who are NDRC's special inspectors to major projects across the country, will learn from Hong Kong consultants. They will watch over the construction of major business projects, such as real estate development, during the eight-day training program that started Tuesday, the Beijing Legal Evening News reported.

"Most of the lecturers are senior anti-corruption officials from Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), the region's No. 1 graft fighter, and the Department of Justice as well as professors from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), " Kwok Man-wai, ex-deputy commissioner of ICAC and one of the teachers, was quoted as saying.

Ren Jianming, an expert on clean governance with Beijing-based Tsinghua University, also lectured for the class. He outlined types and reasons of corruption in the Chinese mainland.

The training is the first of its kind sponsored by CUHK and NDRC. In September 2003, CUHK launched the world's first full-time course on fighting corruption.

Source: Xinhua