China is to start training its millions of government workers in ethics, the state-run Xinhua news agency said Wednesday, as Beijing seeks to address widespread official corruption.

All civil servants will have to undergo at least six hours of ethics teaching by the end of 2015, Xinhua said, citing the State Administration of Civil Service.

Topics to be taught to China's nearly 10 million civil servants will include the "conscientious discharge of duties" and the "justness and honesty" of government employees, the government body said in a statement.

Ethical standards will be a factor in the selection, assessment and supervision of government employees, it added.

Corruption by officials is routinely named in opinion polls as a top source of public discontent in China.

In a speech in July to mark the ruling Communist Party's 90th birthday, Chinese President Hu Jintao said the anti-graft fight was the key to "winning or losing public support and the life or death of the party".

Government positions provide unrivalled job security and are highly sought-after in China, where hundreds of thousands people take part in a recruitment exam every year.