Hu warns against corruption

Chinese President Hu Jintao marked the 83rd anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party with a speech to Politburo members emphasizing the need for a grassroots party free of corruption, state media reported. With the recently released national auditor's report revealing a litany of corruption and wasteful bungling in state utilities and elsewhere, Hu's speech was seen as setting the tone for the fourth plenum of the 16th Party Congress scheduled for the autumn. Hu also said the Communist Party would learn lessons from successful parties overseas and cited the case of Britain's Labour Party moving to the political center and backing private enterprise initiatives.