BEIJING - The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) on Monday called on disciplinary watchdogs and supervisors to be fully aware of the severe need to fight corruption.

The importance and urgency of countering graft should be deeply understood, said a CCDI statement about implementing the essence of the 18th CPC National Congress held earlier this month.

Everyone should be prepared for unexpected eventualities and risks and enhance their sense of responsibility, the statement said.

It asked disciplinary organs to better understand the requirements for clean officials and governance and "resolutely stick to the anti-corruption path with Chinese characteristics."

Both prevention and punishment of corruption should be stressed, and harmful practices that damage people's interests should be rectified, according to the statement.

Outstanding problems reported by the masses should be seriously addressed and the flesh-blood ties between the Party and people should be maintained, it said.

The CCDI will produce concrete measures to improve education of Party members and officials on adherence to the mass line and the purpose of serving the people, according to the statement.

"Harmful practices such as mediocrity, laziness and extravagance should be straightened up," it said, adding that vanity and image projects, formalism and excessive bureaucracy should be eliminated.

Corrupt officials must receive penalties, it said, stressing, "Anyone violating Party disciplines and state laws will be seriously dealt with in line with laws, with zero tolerance."

"There is no place for corrupt figures to hide away within the Party," it warned, urging that the mechanism on restricting and supervising power and the anti-corruption legal system should be perfected.

"Transparency and normalization of power use should be promoted so that corruption can be prevented more scientifically and efficiently," according to the CCDI.

Party members and officials should be consciously abide by the CPC Constitution and work in accordance with the Party's organizational principles and rules for the Party's political life, it said.

Party members and officials were also urged to maintain a high degree of unity with the CPC Central Committee with regard to ideology, politics and actions.

The Party's disciplines, especially political and organizational disciplines, should be strengthened, and those who violate them should be seriously dealt with, it said.

Central authoritativeness should be safeguarded and central decrees should be carried out promptly, the statement added.