Corrupt officials must be barred from all government and party posts in the country's ongoing leadership reshuffle, a senior official of the Communist Party's discipline watchdog told Xinhua yesterday.

'In support of the change of guard, we must seriously implement and perfect the performance assessment system of local party and government leaders and cadres,' Xia Zanzhong, deputy secretary of the party's Central Commission of Discipline Inspection, said. 'We must prevent officials 'plagued with corruption' being appointed and promoted to the new positions.'

The Communist Party is expected to hold its 17th Party Congress in October, which will mark the beginning of a new five-year term for the party and the government, the latter starting in March next year. Cadres heading government and party offices at the provincial, municipal, county and township levels have been changing posts since last year in anticipation of the Congress.