Breaking New Ground in Governing, Developing, and Strengthening the CPC

Over the past 105 years, the CPC has united and led the Chinese people in achieving great accomplishments in the new-democratic revolution; in socialist revolution and construction; in reform, opening up, and socialist modernization; and in building socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. Our achievements thus far, such as the two miracles of rapid economic growth and enduring social stability and success in pioneering, advancing, and expanding Chinese modernization, have brought about brighter prospects than ever before for the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and broadened the pathways by which developing countries can realize modernization.

In a speech at the ceremony marking the 105th founding anniversary of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping summarized our Party’s fine qualities in six aspects serving as the key to the success of the CPC. Since its 18th National Congress in 2012, the CPC has incorporated full and rigorous self-governance into the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy, an endeavor to which we have remained committed, which has led to new horizons created in the efforts of the century-old Party regarding self-reform and provided strong support for our efforts in writing a new chapter in the new era.

I. Acting with greater resolve and purpose to uphold the Central Committee’s authority and its centralized, unified leadership, while reinforcing the Party’s political foundations

The CPC’s political foundations are of fundamental importance, as they determine the direction and efficacy of overall Party development. From the idea that “the key to all problems lies in politics,” as pointed out by Mao Zedong, to the wisdom that “we must place great stress on politics at all times,” as emphasized by Deng Xiaoping, to the insight in “full and rigorous Party self-governance must start with political efforts,” as stated by Xi Jinping, the CPC has relentlessly pursued its political advancement all the time. Looking back, the Seventh CPC National Congress in 1945 gave high priority to reinforcing the Party’s political foundations. The fourth plenary session of the 14th CPC Central Committee held in 1994 explicitly introduced the concept of “reinforcing political foundations.”

In the new era, strengthening the CPC’s political foundations has been further elevated to the position of an overarching principle guiding Party development. This move aimed to address the tendency among some Party organizations, Party members, and officials to overlook and downplay the importance of politics or fail to uphold political principles. In particular, there have been issues with respect to upholding the Party’s leadership, including a lack of clear understanding and effective action as well as the occurrence of weak, superficial, and watered-down implementation of Party leadership in practice. In response, since its 18th National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core has enforced strict political discipline and rules, and formulated and implemented the Guidelines of the CPC Central Committee on Reinforcing the Party’s Political Foundations in order to better regulate political activities, improve the political environment, and cultivate a positive and healthy political culture within the Party. Other measures taken include tightening political inspections, conducting concrete, targeted, and regular political oversight, and enhancing the political competence of Party members and officials, each of which aims to strengthen full and rigorous Party self-governance through political improvement and to better develop the Party on all fronts.

From top to bottom:

Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National Academy of Governance), China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong, China Executive Leadership Academy Jinggangshan, and China Executive Leadership Academy Yan’an. The key to better responding to changes, fostering new opportunities, and opening up new horizons for rejuvenating the nation lies in improving our Party’s leading bodies at all levels and reinforcing the ranks of officials. ACADEMIES CONCERNED

The primary purpose of reinforcing the political foundations of the Party is ensuring that the whole Party obeys the Central Committee and upholds its authority and centralized, unified leadership. This is the greatest fundamental principle underpinning the Party’s leadership. The Central Committee’s centralized, unified leadership is the key reason that has allowed the CPC to shoulder the historic mission of national rejuvenation and take proactive strategic actions over the past 105 years. Since 2012, historic achievements and changes have occurred in the endeavors of the Party and the country despite risks and challenges of a kind rarely seen in history. We owe all of this to the CPC Central Committee led by Xi Jinping, which has been at the helm charting the course, as well as to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, which has provided sound guidance in our efforts to advance our cause.

On the journey ahead, in order to effectively respond to major challenges, withstand major risks, overcome major obstacles, and address major issues, we must continue to strengthen the Party politically. It is essential to guide Party members and officials to remain committed to the Party and devote themselves to strengthening the Party. They must adhere to the guidance of the Party’s underlying theories, basic guidelines, and fundamental principles in advancing the mission of the Party and the country and improve their capacity for political judgment, thinking, and implementation.

II. Building cohesion and inner strength through Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and making it a powerful tool for transforming our objective and subjective worlds

The CPC has been able to grow in strength in the face of many difficulties and remain at the forefront of the times while adapting to the trends of development. One important reason for this is that it has always attached great importance to improving its theories and using them as powerful tools for self-improvement. Over the past 105 years, our Party has dedicated itself to seeking truth, breaking new ground while upholding fundamental principles and consolidating its foundations, and continually adapting Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times. This constant improvement has enabled the nation to identify, respond to, and pursue changes, opening up new horizons for development. The CPC regards unity in thinking as the most profound, enduring, and reliable guarantee for its unity and solidarity. It ensures that the whole Party remains steadfast in will, coordinated in action, and formidable in strength, while guiding the Party forward in the right direction by keeping the roots of convictions healthy and establishing the correct ideological line. History has proven that, at the fundamental level, the success of our Party and Chinese socialism is rooted in the fact that Marxism works, particularly when it is adapted to the Chinese context and the needs of the times.

Since the beginning of the new era in 2012, the CPC has steadily advanced theoretical innovation based on practical experience by integrating the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and its traditional culture, giving shape to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. As the Marxism of contemporary China and of the 21st century, the Thought sets forth not only important guidelines for our Party’s governance, but also requirements for Chinese Communists in terms of political integrity, values, spiritual pursuit, and conduct, highlighting the significant value of truth and the strength of character. It serves as the “golden key” for Chinese Communists to transform the objective world, while providing Party members and officials with rich nourishment to transform the subjective world. Since 2012, our Party has conducted nine intensive education campaigns, each prioritizing the study and application of the Party’s new theories, thereby further fostering firm beliefs and convictions within the Party and allowing it to take timely actions.

It is essential to gain a deep understanding of the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. In particular, we must seek to improve our ability to rationally anticipate changes, promptly identify risks, and effectively address challenges, while enhancing our understanding of Marxism and our ability to apply it in advancing the modernization drive.

III. Resolutely implementing the CPC’s organizational line for the new era and providing a strong organizational guarantee for building China into a great country and rejuvenating the Chinese nation

A political party’s strength comes from its organizations. Over the past 105 years, the CPC has advanced the endeavors of the Party and the people through tangible achievements in strengthening its organizations. Since its 18th National Congress, the Central Committee has put forward and upheld the Party’s organizational line and applied the criteria for evaluating competent officials in the new era. It has focused on cultivating a high-caliber, professional contingent of committed, clean, and responsible officials and building a strong contingent of talented people who are devoted to serving the country and ready to break new ground. It has also sought to improve the close-knit organizational system that ensures coordination across all levels and effective implementation of Party decisions, while giving full play to the key role of primary-level Party organizations and the exemplary role of Party members in promoting reform, development, and stability.

To respond to changes, seize new opportunities, open up new horizons, and advance national rejuvenation, the key is to build strong leading bodies at each level of the Party and a strong contingent of officials. In the new era, the CPC has taken decisive measures to tighten management of officials, placing emphasis on political commitment in selecting and appointing officials and improving the systems pertaining to officials in the areas of competence development, understanding job requirements and assessing officials to be assigned, selection and appointment, strict management, and positive incentives. Aiming to cultivate high-caliber officials capable of shouldering the mission of national rejuvenation, the CPC has adhered to the principle of selecting officials on the basis of both integrity and ability, with greater weight given to the former, and on the basis of merit regardless of background. It has improved the system for assessing the performance of officials and the mechanisms for effectively preventing and correcting deviations in their views on performance and achievements. The Party has made both promotion and demotion a regular part of personnel management, thereby fostering a right orientation in which the competent are promoted, the outstanding are rewarded, the mediocre are demoted, and the incompetent are dismissed. Another area of focus has been to balance strict management with support, placing equal emphasis on providing incentives and imposing constraints. We have taken a clear stand in supporting and encouraging those who have the courage to take responsibility and act. These efforts have unleashed the internal drive and overall vitality of the contingent of officials to make achievements in their work.

The CPC’s close-knit organizational system is a great strength no other political party in the world has. Since the 18th National Congress, our Party has continued to strengthen the political and organizational functions of its organizations. These efforts have addressed barriers, bottlenecks, and dead ends encountered by some Party organizations in implementing the decisions and plans of the Central Committee, including the issue of a number of weak and lax primary-level Party organizations failing to play their key role. We have also made strengthening primary-level Party organizations a clear priority, providing strong support for building a modern socialist country.

IV. Intensifying efforts to improve Party conduct, build integrity, and combat corruption to rally strong support for China’s development and progress

Party conduct is a barometer of the relationship between the Party and the people, of the relationship between officials and the public, and of the level of public support for the Party. When the Party maintains good conduct and the people are content, the Party and the people can share weal and woe. Over the past 105 years, the CPC has always attached great importance to improving conduct and fostered fine conduct and glorious traditions suited to the times. In the new era, confronted with prominent problems within the Party, the CPC Central Committee began by formulating and implementing the eight-point decision on improving work conduct and has continued to tackle pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance and worked to solve prominent problems that have caused strong public backlash or harmed the public interests. Thanks to these efforts, some unhealthy practices once considered impossible to curb have been brought under control, while other deep-seated problems that had persisted for years have been addressed. As a result, Party conduct, government conduct, and social conduct have taken on a new look.

Because of the nature and purpose of the CPC, corruption is completely incompatible with the Party. Since its 18th National Congress, the CPC Central Committee, driven by a strong sense of mission, has committed itself to “offending a few thousand rather than failing 1.4 billion,” clearing the Party of all its ills and waging an unprecedented battle against corruption. With the courage to take painful measures for the sake of the bigger picture, it has made relentless efforts to “hunt tigers,” “swat flies,” and “trap foxes,” while also devoting great energy to uprooting the “rotten trees,” treating the “sick trees,” and straightening the “crooked trees” within the Party. All of this has helped remove serious dangers hidden within the Party, the country, and the military, enabling our Party to take timely actions in ensuring that the Party will never change its nature, its conviction, or its character, and in continuing to unite and lead the Chinese people in striving to build a great country and advance national rejuvenation.

However, we must be soberly aware that the work of improving conduct and combating corruption is a never-ending journey. Currently, the fight against corruption remains challenging and complex as we continue to face the formidable task of eradicating the soil and conditions that allow corruption to breed. We must work in concert to enhance commitment to the Party, improve Party conduct, and tighten Party discipline, strengthening the linkages between efforts to improve Party conduct, enforce Party discipline, and combat corruption. We must investigate and address both misconduct and corruption, and take coordinated steps to ensure that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity, or desire to commit corruption. We must keep waging the tough, protracted, and all-out battle against corruption.

V. Strengthening institutions for Party self-governance with strict discipline and rules and leveraging the CPC’s distinctive strengths in governance

The Party has an important tradition of forging itself with ironclad discipline and rules. In the new era, the CPC Central Committee has incorporated discipline enforcement into the overall plan for strengthening the Party and worked to govern the Party with strict discipline. This means to uphold the principle that discipline sets higher standards than the law, that discipline comes before the law, and that discipline and the law are applied separately. The CPC has established clear rules and broken unspoken rules, run the Party through systems and regulations, and included regulation-based Party governance into the system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics. Three successive five-year plans for the formulation of Party regulations have been implemented, promoting a sound system of regulations and providing important safeguards for improving the Party’s leadership and governance capacity, and advancing the modernization of China’s governance system and capacity.

Self-supervision of political parties can be likened to “Goldbach’s conjecture” in state governance. To address this challenge, we must give full play to the role of discipline as a deterrent in governing the Party, starting with foundational systems and daily norms and fully leveraging the strong governance effectiveness of regulations and institutions. We must make strict discipline a fundamental approach to exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance, enforce political discipline to ensure that all other disciplines are effectively enforced, and strengthen the institutional framework for Party discipline and regulations. We must ensure that powers are well-defined, standardized, constrained, and subject to oversight in accordance with the law and rely more on systems and institutions to govern the Party, regulate the exercise of power, and manage officials. In addition, we must strengthen the enforcement of institutions, ensuring that they have real teeth and deterrent effect and preventing discipline and rules from becoming “scarecrows,” “modeling clay,” or “paper tigers.” As regulation-based governance takes deeper root in the Party, it will help law-based governance of the country take deeper root among the people. We must give full play to the political role of regulation-based Party governance in safeguarding the development of the Party and the country. A system will be established in which state laws and regulations and Party regulations and institutions complement and support one another, thus enabling the CPC’s governance to provide strategic guidance for China’s governance and contribute a Chinese approach to global governance.

(Originally appeared in Qiushi Journal, Chinese edition, No. 14, 2026)