Party briefs EU on anti-graft efforts

The Communist Party of China’s decision to implement strict governance and a sweeping anti-corruption campaign can help it provide constructive solutions to global problems while dealing with domestic challenges, a senior Chinese official said on Monday.

“China has entered a historically critical moment. We are becoming rich but not rich, and internationally we are becoming strong but not strong,” said Yuan Shuhong, deputy director of the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council at a seminar in Brussels.

In recent years, “corruption and other challenges such as weakening the Party’s leadership and loosening Party governance have become rampant”, he said.

Yuan said strong determination has led to lasting efforts to fight corruption with an iron fist and uphold the strict governance of the Party.

Yuan is leading a CPC delegation to the European Union to discuss October’s Sixth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee. The delegation is updating think tank experts and party leaders in the European Parliament.

“With such historic and current complexities, China must have a leadership core to overcome the challenges at home and abroad,” Yuan said at the seminar, organized by the Brussels-based Foundation for European Progressive Studies.

Yuan said the Party must

These efforts could help us ... position China to lead a constructive role worldwide.” Yuan Shuhong, deputy director of the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council

abide by strict political discipline, so as to ensure its leadership of China’s national renewal. “And these efforts could help us live up to the expectations of the international community to position China to lead a constructive role worldwide,” he said.

New Party theory, a leadership reshuffle and plans for coming years are anticipated at the Party’s 19th National Congress next year.

Ernst Stetter, secretarygeneral of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies, said it is helpful to learn from the CPC’s experience.

Wang Xueyong, deputy director-general of the Bureau for Western European Affairs of the International Department of the Central Committee of the CPC, said it is normal for the CPC to exchange developments with other parties worldwide.

“And in doing so, we also lend our ears to our friends to ask them to pass along ideas and suggestions to improve the governance of the CPC as well,” Wang said.