A Communist Party of China official says corruption in the country is becoming more severe as the nation undergoes rapid social and economic changes.

Wu Yuliang, vice chairman of the party's discipline commission, told reporters Wednesday the party will step up efforts to fight the problem, including through the supervision of officials' financial assets.

Wu welcomed the role of the public, including Internet users, in watching for examples of corruption, but said the government would seek ways to ensure online reporting is accurate and reliable.

Wu also said the party would rely mainly on its internal mechanisms to deal with corruption. He said more than 146,000 people were punished in corruption cases last year. But only about three percent of those cases were turned over for criminal prosecution.