As China continues its campaign against corruption, 390,000 people were punished for discipline violations and other misconduct in the first nine months of this year, including 18 officials at the provincial or ministerial level, said the country's top disciplinary and supervisory authorities.

The number of people punished this year increased slightly from the 383,000 people disciplined during the same period last year, according to data released on Saturday by the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission, the country's top anti-graft watchdogs.

Discipline inspection and supervision organs continue to promote the building of an anti-graft system to further consolidate and develop the country's overwhelming victory in its fight against corruption, the watchdogs said.

Among the people punished in the first nine months of this year were 256,000 people from the grassroots level, mainly from villages and enterprises.

"It shows that discipline inspection and supervision organs have responded in a timely manner to the concerns of the people and have rectified problems that the people have strongly complained about," the watchdogs said in a statement on their website.

The fight against corruption is still complex, and the principle of "strictness" will be maintained for a long time to push forward full and strict governance over the Party, the watchdogs said.

 (Source: China daily)