Strict governance of Party to be maintained

Inspections and supervision of power should be strengthened, president says

Attendees of a key meeting of the Party’s top disciplinary agency agreed that strict governance of the Party plays an important role in ensuring the building of a more prosperous society and the success of the fight against poverty.

President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said that “strict” governance of the Party must be maintained for a long time, while addressing a plenary session of the country’s top antigraft watchdog on Monday.

Xi stressed strengthening inspections and supervision of the exercise of power and demanded strict governance of the Party. He urged the building of a system under which officials “don’t dare to, are unable to and have no desire to commit acts of corruption”.

The Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection was held in Beijing from Monday to Wednesday.

Wang Lishan, the top disciplinary inspection official in Hubei province, said, “To maintain strict governance over the Party conforms to the rule of Party management. The fight against corruption has won an overwhelming victory, but the situation still remains complex.”

“General-Secretary Xi stressed the main tone of strictness and called for long-term adherence to it, which shows the central leadership’s determination to govern the Party with strict discipline is consistent and firm,” he said.

Bian Jianlin, a law professor at China University of Political Science and Law, said that supervision plays a fundamental role in governing the Party, running the country and ensuring the operation of public power.

“We need to innovate oversight methods, taking the intra-Party supervision as the main role and promoting the coordination of all kinds of methods, to truly put power and personnel under institutional oversight,” he said.

The three-day session of the top disciplinary body considered that 2020 is a particularly important year — the final year for completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and the last year of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20).

Disciplinary inspection and supervisory organs should focus on addressing prominent problems that have aroused strong public concern and help promote the fight against poverty, according to the communique of the session.

Wang Yanfei, the top disciplinary inspection official in Sichuan province, said poverty alleviation is an important political task in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and disciplinary departments can play a role in curbing corruption in the field of poverty alleviation.

Song Fulong, head of the CCDI team stationed at the Ministry of Transport, said road building is important to poverty alleviation, and this year the team will increase oversight over the ministry’s road building work in villages to improve people’s sense of gain.