ALL THE PROBLEMS THAT AFFECT THE PARTY'S creativity, cohesion and strength must be addressed, all the ailments that are detrimental to the Party's purity and quality as the vanguard must be cured, and all the malignant tumors within the Party must be removed. These remarks by Party leader Xi Jinping, in a speech on National Day, may be taken as evidence of the leadership's continued resolve to root out corruption.

Yet the more corruption that is uncovered, the more severe the situation may seem to the public.

It is natural for some to question whether the campaign will be able to get rid of all the corrupt elements and whether a mechanism can be established to make it difficult for those with power to abuse it. It is also understandable that some question whether the crackdown on corrupt officials is selective.