September22,2017:APartymemberfromHuainanCity,AnhuiProvincevisitsanexhibitionaboutbuildingacleanandhonestgovernment,whichaimstohelpPartymembersimproveabilitytofightcorruptionandpreventdegeneration.VCGOctober19,2017:Atthepresscenterofthe19thNationalCongressoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC),YangXiaodu,headoftheNationalBureauofCorruptionPreventionundertheStateCouncil,andQiYu,deputyheadoftheOrganizationDepartmentoftheCPCCentralCommittee,introducetheworkonPartybuildingandfullandvigorousgovernanceovertheParty,attractingmanyjournalistsfromhomeandabroad.XinhuaXiJinpingThoughtonSocialismwithChineseCharacteristicsforaNewErawasdevelopedamidtheremarkabledevelopmentofthecountrysincethe18thNationalCongressoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC).ComprehensiveandrigorousgovernanceoverthePartyhasbeenwarmlywelcomedbythepeople.Andthedrivetobuildacleanandhonestgovernmenthasachievedhistoricsuccess.Accordingtothe18thCPCNationalCongress,strictgovernanceoverthePartyisanecessaryrequirementforthePartytoupholditshistoricmission,respondtothepeople’sneedsandsolveproblemshead-on.
XiJinping,generalsecretaryoftheCPCCentralCommittee,hasalwaysemphasizedstrictgovernanceovertheParty.OnNovember15,2012atapressconferenceheldbymembersoftheStandingCommitteeofthePoliticalBureauofthe18thCPCCentralCommittee,Xideclared,“OurresponsibilityistoworkwithallthecomradesinthePartytoupholdtheprinciplethatthePartyshouldsuperviseitsownconductandrunitselfwithstrictdiscipline,effectivelysolvemajorproblemsintheParty,improveourconductandmaintainclosetieswiththepeople.Bysodoing,wewillensurethatourPartywillremainatthecoreofleadershipinadvancingthecauseofsocialismwithChinesecharacteristics.”Thisstatementyearsagoevidencesthatsincetheearlydaysofhisleadership,strictgovernanceoverthePartyhasbeenthefocus.
Thereporttothe19thCPCNationalCongressincludedcrucialpoliticaldecisionssuchastheconclusionthatsocialismwithChinesecharacteristicshasenteredanewera.Thisisanimportantdevelopmentculminatingfromthehistoricachievementsandhistoricchangesofthepastfiveyears.ThePartywithXiatitscorehasdemonstratedtremendouspoliticalcourageandagreatsenseofmission.Ithassolvedmanytoughproblemsthatwerelongontheagendabutneverresolved,andaccomplishedmanythingsthatwerewantedbutnevergotdone.Also,fullandrigorousgovernanceoverthePartyresultedinhighlyincreasedefficiency.
ImprovingPartyConductintheNewEra
ImprovingPartyconducthasbeenaneternalthemeofPartybuilding.Alongthe97yearsofdevelopmentoftheCPC,effortstothisendhaveproducedsomeofthegreatestsuccessesandachievementsofthePartyduringtheprocessoftheChineserevolution,constructionandreform.AndtheCPChascloselylinkedtheimportanceofimprovingPartyconducttotheParty’scause.
Partybuildingisajourneytowhichthereisnoend.DifferenterascallfordifferenttacticstoimprovePartyconduct.Beforethereformandopening-upperiod,thelongterm“left-leaning”mistakesandtheten-year“culturalrevolution”(19661976)decimatedthecaliberofPartyconduct,soinitswake,thismissionhasremainedaproblemthreateningthesurvivaloftheParty.
However,sincethe18thCPCNationalCongress,byfocusingonpersistingPartyconductissuesduringthedevelopmentofsocialismwithChinesecharacteristics,theCPChasenhanceditstacticsforimprovingtheconductofPartymembersandpromotingcomprehensiveandstrictgovernanceovertheParty.Thetaskintheearlydaysofreformwastoarrangeorderoutofchaos,andthemissionhassinceevolvedintoadrivetostrengthentherightandeliminatethewrong,bothofwhichrequireimprovementofPartyconducttoseizethespiritofthetimes.
AtthefirstcollectivestudyofthePoliticalBureauofthe18thCPCCentralCommittee,GeneralSecretaryXiJinpingstressedthatithasalwaysbeentheCPC’sconsistentandclearpoliticalpositiontocombatcorruption,promotepoliticalintegrityandkeepthePartyhealthy,andthatbuildingafinePartycultureandacorruption-freePartyisamajorpoliticalissueofgreatconcerntothepeople.
Sinceits18thNationalCongress,theCPChaslaunchedvariousactivitiestoinspirePartymemberstowalkthestraightandnarrowandmaintainastrictstanceagainstthepracticeofformalitiesforformalities’sake,unnecessarybureaucracy,hedonismandextravagance.Throughgreatefforts,itovercamethedifficultiesinestablishingcomprehensiveandstrictgovernanceoverthePartyandimprovingtheconductofPartymembers.ImprovingPartyconductisahighlightoftheCPC’sworkinthenewera.OfficialsfromtheDisciplineInspectionandSupervisoryCommissionofLuoyuanCountyinFuzhouCity,FujianProvince,talktolocalvillagers.XinhuaFocus,SystemandGuarantees
ImprovingtheconductofprincipalPartymembersandofficialsiscrucial.AsrolemodelsoftheParty,principalPartymembersandofficialsinfluencetheconductofthewholeParty.Xistressedoncorrectingthecriticalminorityoftopcadresandensuringhigh-qualitycadresatalllevels.Tomeetthenecessarystandards,theyshouldnotonlybefirminpoliticalandtheoreticalconviction,butalsodemonstrateexcellentconduct.
StrengtheningPartyrulesandenforcementofregulationsguaranteesbetterconductofPartymembers.Whileexercisingstrictself-governanceonallaspectsoftheParty,theCPCcombinesstrengtheningrulesandregulationswithimprovingconduct,turningthepageonanewchapterforPartybuilding.XioncestressedthatthePartyshouldseriouslyimplementcomprehensivemeasuresforimprovingconduct,thatallregulationsshouldbefollowed,andthatallthosewhodisobeytherulesshouldbepunished.Healsonotedthatdeepeningreformshouldprovidelong-termguaranteesforexcellentconduct.
XihaselaboratedthatasarulingpartyguidedbyMarxism,theCPCshouldnotonlybeguidedbythegreatpoweroftruth,butalsoconductitselfwiththeutmostmoralquality.ThepoweroftruthismanifestedbythecorrecttheoryoftheParty,andthepowerofmoralqualityisdisplayedthroughexcellentconduct.TheCPCshouldcombinerule-basedPartygovernancewithrulingbyvirtue.Regulationsandpunishmentshouldbeemphasized,andPartymembersshouldbeguidedbystrongbeliefsandsoundmoralstoenhancethenoblecharacterandintegrityofPartymembersintheeyesofthepublic.Policeofficersescortsuspectsofeconomicoffences.Sincethe18thNationalCongressoftheCommunistPartyofChina(CPC),ChinahaslaunchedaseriesofinternationalcampaignsonfugitiverepatriationandassetrecoveryincludingNetofHeavenAction,FoxHuntingandRedNotice.XinhuaNewEra,NewCalls
Practicehasalwaysbeencarriedoutunderspecifichistoricalconditions.TheCPC’semphasisonimprovingPartyconductinthenewerahasdistinctcharacteristicsofthetimes.
First,itfirmlygraspedapeople-centeredpoliticalstancebyimprovingPartyconduct.ImprovingPartyconductkeepsthePartyhealthy.ButthesignificanceofstrengtheningPartyconductisnotlimitedtothePartyitself.Partyconductdirectlyaffectsthepeople,andapeople-centeredphilosophyshouldbetheemphasizedpoliticalstanceofPartymembers.TheCPC’sconductshouldbedeterminedbyitsadvancednatureasaMarxistparty.TheconsistencyoftheinterestsofthePartyandthepeopleandensuringfullandstrictgovernanceoverthePartyrequireapeople-centeredapproach.AsXiJinpingsaid,“Wemustguardagainstandcorrectwithresolvethepracticesthepeopleopposeandresent.”ServingthepeopleisanimportantfeatureofXi’sthoughtonstrengtheningPartyconduct.
Second,theCPCisstrivingtosolvemajordilemmasandproblemshinderingimprovementofPartyconduct.Sincethe18thCPCNationalCongressinNovember2012,theParty’sconducthasimprovedandnewaccomplishmentshavebeenmadethroughsolvingproblems.Ithasdiagnosedtheproblem,formulatedaplanandtakenactiontowinoverbothPartymembersandthegeneralpublicwithremarkableimprovementsinPartyconduct.TargetingexistingproblemsisanotherimportantfeatureofXi’sthoughtonstrengtheningPartyconduct.
Third,thePartyispayingmoreattentiontotop-leveldesigntostrengthenPartyconduct.Sincethe18thCPCNationalCongress,improvingPartyconducthasfocusedonaddressingthe“fourformsofdecadence,”actinginstrictaccordancewiththecodeofPartyconductforintra-Partypoliticallife,strengtheninginternaloversight,improvingtheParty’spoliticalecosystem,andresolutelycorrectingmisconductinallforms.Xi’sthoughtonstrengtheningPartyconductembodiesthedistinctfeaturesoftop-leveldesignandguidesthenewstageofadvancingPartygovernanceinacomprehensiveway.
Fourth,improvingPartyconductdemandsthecouragetocarryoutself-reform.ThegreatsocialreformcarriedoutbythePartyrequiresthecouragetocarryoutself-reform,faceproblemshead-onandconductself-analysis.Chronicandpersistentconditionsneedtobeaddressedwithcourage.ImprovingPartyconductinthenewerarequiresdeterminationstrongenoughto“leavefootprintsontheroadwewalkandhandprintsontheironwegrasp”andperseveranceinanti-corruptioneffortstoachievefinalsuccess.
TheauthorisaprofessoratEastChinaNormalUniversityandaresearchfellowwiththeShanghaiResearchCenterofXiJinpingThoughtonSocialismwithChineseCharacteristicsforaNewEra.