China is considering setting up a state-level corruption prevention institution as it intensifies fight against graft, said a senior official with the Communist Party of China (CPC) discipline watchdog Tuesday.

Gan Yisheng, vice secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), said the institution would help fulfill China's commitments to the UN Convention Against Corruption which the country signed in 2005.

The UN General Assembly adopted the convention in 2003 to fight international corruption.

"We believe setting up the institution could reinforce our fight against corruption," Gan said, adding that the proposed institute is waiting for approval and he didn't know when it might be given.

Gan did not elaborate on how the institution would collaborate with the CCDI or judicial departments.

Gan said the CPC and the government have had some success in fighting corruption. "China has made significant achievements in this aspect, which have been widely recognized domestically and internationally."

The number of cases of dereliction of duty has been on the decline since 2003. The number of cases involving serious violations that were directed to judicial departments in 2006 dropped 10.9 percent over the previous year, Gan said.

Source: Xinhua