The Communist Party of China (CPC) will convene a key meeting in November to discuss deepening reform in an all-round way, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee announced on Tuesday.

The 25-member Political Bureau said in a statement following a meeting on Tuesday that the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee will be held in November in Beijing.

Presided over by General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping, the meeting also approved a 2013-2017 work plan for establishing and improving the system for punishing and preventing corruption.

The meeting approved a document concerning functional transformation and institutional reform of local governments.

The Political Bureau members also listened to a report on preparation work done for a pilot free trade zone in Shanghai, the statement said.

REFORM CRITICAL TO OVERALL SITUATION

During the session the Political Bureau will report its work to the CPC Central Committee and the session will discuss major issues concerning comprehensive and deepened reforms, said the statement.

Deepening reform in an all-round way concerns the overall work of the Party and the government, and is the requirement for building a moderately prosperous society, speeding up socialist modernization drive, developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, addressing prominent challenges in the development, and achieving sustainable, healthy development of the economy and society, said the statement.

"Reform and opening up serve as a critical strategy to determine modern China's destiny and rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. There should never be an end to the practice and development, emancipation of the mind, and reform and opening up," said the statement.

"There is no way out for China to stop or even reverse the process," it said, adding that reform and opening up have "only a progressive tense, no perfect tense."

The meeting stressed that the Party must strengthen confidence in reform, head in the right direction, consolidate consensus, and coordinate all reforms.

The people's initiative must be respected, the statement said, calling for a pooling of wisdom in the Party and society and uniting all strengths in promoting reform.

The meeting urged the Party to fully recognize contradictions and difficulties that the reform is now facing, calling for strengthened courage in tackling grave issues.

The meeting encouraged the Party to be brave enough to break down ideological barriers and vested interests. It also called for innovation in theories, systems, science and technology, culture and other fields by promoting comprehensive and deepened reform.

The statement said the idea of reform and innovation should be implemented in all aspects of governance, and the strength of the whole of society should be better consolidated in the Party's work.

FIGHT CORRUPTION WITH SYSTEM

Attendees of the meeting vowed to establish a system to punish and prevent corruption under a "grim and complicated" situation.

The whole party should maintain unity with the CPC Central Committee in both their ideas and actions, follow the central leadership's judgement of the situation and plan for a corruption fight, according to the statement.

"To stop the spread of corruption should be a major task and goal for the whole party," said the statement.

The meeting stressed again to crack down on both "tigers" and "flies" in anti-corruption moves and investigate violations by Party officials.

"Corruption is still a common phenomenon, the soil that nourishes corruption still exists, and the situation remains critical and complicated," the statement noted.

For the CPC, system building against corruption is a "major political task"; and for the whole society, it is a common responsibility, the statement said.

The Party must strictly discipline its members and punish corrupt officials more severely, the statement said.

To prevent corruption, the Party must start with curbing bureaucratism, formalism, hedonism and extravagance and improve officials' work style.

The statement vowed to reform the CPC discipline inspection system; innovate the anticorruption mechanism, improve the CPC multilevel supervision and inspection systems at all levels.

The exercise of power by officials must be checked and supervised to create a system, whereby officials dare not be corrupt and corruption tends not to happen, it said.

Moreover, the statement said discipline inspectors and supervision organs and staff should make themselves upright at first, be clean and honest to serve the people.

STREAMLINE LOCAL GOV'T

The Political Bureau also vowed to transform local government and push forward institutional reform.

Local government functions are to be transformed and streamlined to establish an administrative system with Chinese characteristics and dovetail with the central government's efforts in this regard, according to the statement.

The core of the proposed reform is to transform government functions,with the emphasis on further reforming the administrative approval system with the view of continuing to streamline government and delegate power to the lower levels. The institutional reform should focus on prominent issues concerning people's livelihood.

Violations in government staffing should be resolutely investigated and punished.

Effective measures should be taken to ensure various requirements on transforming and streamlining the local government are well implemented so as to let the people feel the actual effect of change brought by the reform, according to the meeting.

BUILDING PILOT FTZ IN SHANGHAI

The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee threw its weight behind the planned Shanghai pilot free trade zone (FTZ) on Tuesday.

Establishing the flagship Shanghai FTZ in response to new circumstances is an important step forward in reform and opening up, said the statement.

The program will spearhead the CPC Central Committee's endeavor to explore new ways of improving management, advancing the transformation of government functions, facilitating trade and investment, and deepening reform and opening up the economy, said the statement.

The political bureau urged the State Council, or Cabinet, Shanghai municipal government and all related government departments to work together to forge ahead with the program.

Covering 28.78 square kilometers, the new zone will adjoin existing bonded zones in Shanghai -- Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Waigaoqiao Free Trade Logistics Park, Yangshan Free Trade Port Area and Pudong Airport Comprehensive Free Trade Zone.