The Party has zero tolerance for corruption and the crackdown on it must be effectively strengthened, Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, said yesterday.

"Resolutely punishing and effectively preventing corruption is crucial to the popular support for the Party and its survival," he said.

Pointing out that fighting corruption will be a protracted, complicated and arduous battle, Hu called on Party members to address both its symptoms and root cause and combine punishment with prevention.

Since the 16th National Congress in 2002, the Party has punished a large number of high-ranking officials, including former Shanghai Party chief Chen Liangyu and China's former top statistician Qiu Xiaohua.

Founded in 1921, the Party has governed China since 1949 and has more than 73 million members.