BREAK THE CYCLE OF RISE AND FALL THROUGH PARTY SELF-REFORM

BREAK THE CYCLE OF RISE AND FALL THROUGH PARTY SELF-REFORM*

January 18, 2022

It has been 10 years since our Party convened its 18th National Congress. A blacksmith in the past would spend 10 years forging a perfect sword. Likewise, over the past decade, the Central Committee has incorporated full and rigorous internal governance of the Party into the Four-pronged Comprehensive Strategy, and pressed forward with its endeavors to improve Party conduct, build clean government, and fight corruption with unprecedented courage and determination. 

Some malfeasances that had not been checked for many years have been curbed, intractable problems of long standing have been resolved, and serious hidden dangers within the Party, the state, and the armed forces have been removed. Lax and weak governance in the Party has been fundamentally reversed.

Our full and rigorous internal governance in the new era has tempered our Party. Without such progress, our Party would not have become a strong and united party as it is today, it would not have stood side by side with the people in overcoming so many difficulties, and it would not have been able to take timely actions in response to the changing global landscape.

Since 2012, historic and groundbreaking results have been achieved in full and rigorous internal governance of the Party. This has had a profound impact in multiple dimensions. We should continue this process in the long term and make steady progress.

As an ancient Chinese statesman observed, “Sage sovereigns of ancient times would first pursue self-cultivation and self-improvement, so as to govern well and bring order to the country.” Since 2012, I have said on many occasions that we should break the historical cycle of rise and fall. This is crucial for our Party’s survival and its great cause, and for the continued success of our socialist system.

How can we break the historical cycle? Our Party has been pondering and exploring the answer for decades.

Mao Zedong offered the first answer in Yan’an back in 1945. He said in his cave-dwelling, “The government will not dare slacken its effort only under the people’s scrutiny.”

Now, after a century of exploring the path, especially with a new approach since its 18th National Congress, the Party has given the second answer: by carrying out self-reform.

Self-reform is like the Party giving itself supplements to strengthen its bones. It is like performing painful self-surgery to remove a maimed limb, or eliminating viruses and bacteria that erode your immunity. The aim is to boost the Party’s health — to achieve self-renewal and prevent its collapse.

The Party has the courage to carry out self-reform and accept public scrutiny — these two are essentially the same, and both are driven by its original aspiration and founding mission.

Over the past 100 years, the Party has ensured its lasting vitality and robust growth by relying on developing people’s democracy and accepting public scrutiny, and on strengthening its internal governance and self-reform. It has had the courage and determination to uphold the truth, enforce the strictest measures, and correct all mistakes and irregularities.

The Party is fully committed to the people. It has always lived up to their trust and represented their fundamental interests. It is because of this that we have always examined our conduct, reflected on mistakes in the spirit of thorough self-reform, and fought against all harmful elements that damage the Party’s progressive and wholesome nature. It is because of this that we have been able to overcome attempts by individual interest groups, power groups, and privileged strata to corrupt us. We have been able to seek out and punish Party members who have done wrong under the influence of these groups, and to remain as vibrant as ever. We have also been able to win the trust and support of the people, so they are willing to help us correct our shortcomings and work hard together with the Party.

Full and rigorous governance of the Party, a significant element of the Party’s self-reform in the new era, has opened up a new realm for the CPC, a large political party with a century of history. To succeed in self-reform we must do the following:

First, we must reinforce the Party’s political foundations as the overarching principle and advance Party self-reform as the political direction. History has proved time and again that unity is the lifeline of our Party, and that the strong and effective leadership of the Central Committee is the fundamental guarantee for us to overcome all difficulties and dangers. This unity is, first and foremost, political unity.

We have prioritized the effort to reinforce our Party’s political foundations, upheld the authority of the Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership as the highest political principle, and strengthened overall Party leadership in all realms and aspects of Party and state governance. We have enforced strict political discipline and rules, and strengthened political oversight and discipline inspection. We have made resolute efforts to prevent and punish the Seven Malpractices, weed out those feigning compliance while undermining the work of the central leadership, and foster a healthier political ecosystem within the Party.

Thanks to our full and rigorous internal governance of the Party in the new era, we have fundamentally solved the problem of ineffective leadership and weakened awareness of the Party among Party members. And we see a stronger commitment of all Party members to the Four Consciousnesses, the Four-sphere Confidence, and the Two Upholds.

Second, we must improve our ideological work, which is essential to the development of the Party, and we must make it a powerful tool for self-reform. 

We have reinforced the Party’s foundations, strengthened its cohesion, and forged its soul with the revolutionary ideals which are our greatest goals. We have educated all Party members and inspired the people with our innovative theories to help them gain a deeper understanding of what the CPC stands for and what it does — the two fundamental questions to which they should know the answer. We have also asked them to learn from the Party’s century-long history why we succeeded in the past and what we should do to ensure continued success in the future.

We have launched education campaigns among all Party members to act on the Party’s mass line; to observe the Three Guidelines for Ethical Behavior and Three Basic Rules of Conduct; to understand the Party Constitution, Party regulations, and major policy addresses, and to meet Party standards; to honor the Party’s original aspiration and founding mission; and to study Party history. These education programs are now part of a regular and formal campaign. We have reinforced our positions on the ideological front and strengthened regulation of related work, removing harmful elements and negative influences. We have strengthened faith and convictions among Party members.

Thanks to our full and rigorous internal governance of the Party in the new era, we have cleared up long-standing confusion in ideology and values in some areas. Through innovative thinking, Party members have consolidated their commitment to the original aspiration and founding mission of the Party. They have raised their sense of responsibility to share the Party’s concerns, contribute to the country, and work for the people’s wellbeing. They have withstood tests, resisted temptations, and maintained their political integrity in the face of complex and severe challenges.

Third, we must implement the central Party leadership’s Eight Rules with strict discipline, and introduce more measures of self-reform. 

Party consciousness, Party conduct, and Party discipline form an indivisible whole. Good Party conduct is based on unwavering commitment to the Party, and strict Party discipline safeguards both.

Full and rigorous internal Party governance in the new era began with the introduction of the Eight Rules. The central Party leadership has led by example in carrying forward the traditions of modesty, prudence, hard work, pragmatism, moral integrity, and seeking truth from facts, and in making full compliance with Party discipline and rules its top priority. 

As a result, we have been able to detect and address issues before they got worse. In the past decade we have rectified irregularities and resolved problems, and never surrendered to complacency. We will continue to correct the Four Forms of Official Misconduct, oppose ideas and actions born of privilege, and eliminate all forms of corruption and misconduct that harm the interests of the people.

Thanks to our full and rigorous internal governance of the Party in the new era, we have significantly remedied its lax discipline and inappropriate work style in some areas. As a result, an atmosphere of strict, decisive and consistent implementation of Party discipline is now in place. Party, government and social conduct has improved continuously, and the public image of our Party has been remarkably uplifted.

Fourth, we must continue to fight corruption, punish wrongdoers with the strictest sanctions, and wage a tough and protracted war of self-reform. An ancient Chinese historian said, “It is the rampant corruption of officials that leads to the demise of a state.” Corruption is the greatest threat to state power; fighting corruption is the most thorough self-reform.

We would rather offend a few thousand rather than fail 1.4 billion. Driven by a strong sense of mission, we have resolved to clear our Party of all its ills. We have made it clear that there is no such thing as a no-go area in the fight against corruption. No ground is left unturned, and no tolerance is shown for corruption. We have imposed tight constraints, maintained a tough stance, strengthened long-term deterrence, and punished both those who take bribes and those who offer them. No case of corruption will escape investigation, and no corrupt official will go unpunished. In a prudent and effective manner, we have resolutely  investigated and dealt with a number of major cases, which are among the most serious since the founding of the PRC in 1949. We have used a combination of measures to “take out tigers”, “swat flies”, and “hunt down foxes”, punishing corrupt officials of all types. In doing so, we are determined to eliminate corruption as the greatest danger and win the battle against corruption that we cannot afford to lose.

Thanks to our full and rigorous internal governance of the Party in the new era, we have won an overwhelming victory in the fight against corruption and consolidated the results in every respect. A visible deterrent effect against corruption has been created; the institutional cage that prevents corruption has been reinforced; and moral defenses against corruption are growing stronger. China’s battle against corruption is unparalleled in the world in terms of scale, resolve and perseverance. We have pioneered a path to combatting corruption, underpinned by our institutional strengths and the rule of law, and opened a new chapter in the history of the fight against corruption.

Fifth, we must strengthen Party organizations’ political functions, capacity to organize and cohesion, and cultivate a great number of officials who have the courage and ability to stand up for the Party and to carry out self-reform.

We have implemented the Party’s organizational line and applied the criteria for assessing the quality of officials in the new era. We have focused on building up the systems of Party organizations and strengthening their political functions, so that at all levels they will be better connected and more effective in communicating and delivering on Party policies. And we have paid particular attention to strengthening Party organizations at the grassroots. Our goals are to promote all-round progress at all levels of the Party and to improve the performance of its organizations in all respects.

We have reviewed and made good use of the experience of our great struggle, and called on Party members and officials to maintain their fighting spirit, choose the right method or approach, and build up their capacity to deliver. They have been put to the test at the front lines — building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and eradicating absolute poverty, fighting Covid-19, natural disasters and other emergencies, and countering external attempts to suppress and restrict China’s development.

Thanks to our full and rigorous internal governance of the Party in the new era, we have resolved the problem of weakened, ineffective and marginalized leadership in some primary-level Party organizations. We used to have Party members who were too concerned with their own image to take a clear stance on any issue. Some were oily characters who tried to wriggle out of their responsibilities. Some muddled along, happy with the status quo. There is no room for such behavior or such members now. 

Primary-level Party organizations have excelled in their key role of ensuring the exercise of the Party’s overall leadership, while Party members have played an exemplary role. This has translated the Party’s political and organizational strengths into the capacity to succeed in all its work.

Sixth, we must establish a system of rules and regulations that provide an institutional guarantee, and help the Party to cleanse, improve, renew and temper itself.

We have improved the systems of Party and state supervision, with intra-Party oversight playing the leading role. Discipline inspections have cut through corruption and misconduct, and the practice of stationing resident discipline inspection teams has played an effective role in detecting violations. We have advanced reform of the discipline inspection system, the national supervision system, and the system of scrutiny through auditing and statistics. We have continued to promote coordinated supervision, which covers all Party members and all public office holders.

We have continued to govern the Party through institutional arrangements and with strict rules, and to improve our rules and regulations on organization, leadership, self-improvement and supervision, making sure the rules and regulations have teeth and serve as an effective deterrent.

Thanks to our full and rigorous internal governance of the Party in the new era, we have put in place a set of Party regulations, established an authoritative, efficient and all-round supervision system under the unified leadership of the Party, and created a positive atmosphere in which rules and regulations are respected and observed. These measures have made our supervision system more mature and more refined in all respects, and given our Party and state a unique strength in governance.

Since 2012, we have consolidated and enriched the Marxist theory of political party development, reviewed and applied a century of our Party’s experience to produce innovations in the theory, practice and system of internal Party governance. Our understanding of how to build a Marxist political party fit to rule in the long term, and of what steps must be taken, has risen to a new level, and includes the following:

1. Upholding the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. We must exercise full and rigorous internal governance of the Party as a major political task and a serious endeavor. We must take solid steps to advance this task in an orderly manner under the centralized, unified leadership of the Central Committee, and uphold the Party’s overall leadership throughout the task. To ensure that our socialist country will never change its nature, our Party must keep the initiative in the fight against corruption. 

2. Ensuring that the Party exercises effective self-supervision and strict internal governance and builds on its self-reform to lead social transformation. We must see that full and rigorous internal Party governance serves as a political guide for social transformation and a political guarantee for its success. We must incorporate the strategic task of full and rigorous internal Party governance into the whole process of developing socialism with Chinese characteristics and strengthening the Party in all respects. By so doing, the Party can increase its capacity to provide political leadership and theoretical guidance, to organize and inspire the people, and to drive forward the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

3. Reinforcing the Party’s political foundations as an overarching task to make sure that all Party members remain fully aligned with the Central Committee in political stance, orientation, principle and path. On the basis of strengthening ideals and convictions, we must regulate internal Party activities, develop a healthy political ecosystem, and urge Party members and officials to translate their loyalty to the Party into concrete actions to implement the decisions and plans of the Central Committee. These measures can ensure that the Party’s theories, guidelines, principles and policies are effectively implemented.

4. Applying strict discipline and ensuring that it is more politically oriented, up to date, and targeted. We must first enforce political discipline and rules and see that all other discipline and rules are also rigorously enforced. Party discipline imposes stricter requirements on Party members than the law does, and discipline and law enforcement must be integrated. We should further apply the four forms of oversight over discipline compliance, strictly enforce discipline and punish violations, and see that the whole Party targets the same goals and takes concerted actions.

5. Working tenaciously to improve Party conduct and guiding the whole of society to pursue excellence and good conduct. We must carry forward the Party’s tradition of good conduct and persevere in implementing the Eight Rules. In the course of this endeavor, we must address our attention to both the present and the future effect of these rules, implement them strictly, earnestly and thoroughly. We must correct the Four Forms of Official Misconduct and foster healthy and positive practices, eradicating hotbeds of corruption, correcting pointless formalities and bureaucratism, and striving through better conduct and a brighter image to achieve great new successes.

6. Following a Chinese approach to battle corruption and showing zero tolerance. We must be aware that there can be no end to full and rigorous internal Party governance, and no let-up in the severe punishment of offenders. We should make integrated efforts to ensure that our officials do not have the audacity, the opportunity, or the desire to engage in corruption. While punishments are meted out to deter crime, institutional safeguards and personal commitment to staying clean also play a role. We should use law-based thinking and approaches to punish corruption, and govern the Party with systematic efforts to address both the symptoms and root causes of corruption, making sure that officials are honest, government is clean, and political affairs are handled with integrity.

7. Eliminating all forms of corruption and misconduct that harm the interests of the people to ensure access to fairness and justice for every individual. We must implement the people-centered philosophy of development and respond to people’s concerns and aspirations. We need to extend internal Party governance to the grassroots, address issues of major concern to the public, and consolidate the Party’s governance foundations with the results of its strict internal governance.

8. Focusing on those in leading positions so that they can lead by example and fulfill their responsibility for full and rigorous internal Party governance. We must ensure the accountability of leading officials and have them play a key role in enforcing full and rigorous internal Party governance. Starting from the Central Committee, high-ranking officials should take the lead in carrying out this task in a serious manner, with each level of officials setting an example to and leading the efforts of the next level below. Leading officials must be selfless and fearless, maintain a clear-cut political stance, and have the courage and ability to surmount all difficulties. They should see that Party committees carry through their overall responsibilities and discipline inspection commissions their oversight responsibilities, and that each and every Party member plays their due role.

9. Improving the oversight and supervisory systems of the Party and the state in order to synergize and integrate strengths, cover all areas, and deliver a long-term impact. We must advance the Party’s self-reform through strengthening self-supervision and public scrutiny, and put in place a mechanism in which intra-Party supervision takes the lead and all forms of oversight work in concert. We should strengthen checks and oversight on the exercise of power and translate the strengths of the systems into effective governance.

* Part of the speech at the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.

(Not to be republished for any commercial or other purposes.)