REGULATING PARTY CONDUCT
BEIJING: The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee GeneralSecretary Xi Jinping has stressed the imperativeness of regulating intra-party political life and advancing supervision, calling the move “an important approach to promoting comprehensive and strict party governance”.
Xi made the remarks last week when explaining two related documents at the sixth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee.
The regulation on intra-party supervision aims to uphold the CPC’s leadership, strengthen party-building, promote comprehensive and strict governance, and maintain the party’s status and purity. It stressed that selfsupervision should be carried out in accordance with regulations and through democratic centralism.
The two documents were vital to the CPC’s drive, said Xie Chuntao, a professor with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.
He described the two documents as “comprehensive, precise, targeted and organised” efforts on improving the strict governance of the party.
Time is ripe
Given new conditions and tasks, it was imperative to introduce the norms and regulations, Xi said, adding that conditions were now ripe for the move.
The documents were born out of a necessity to promote the comprehensive and strict governance, and to solve outstanding contradictions and problems within the Pprty.
Political life in the party had been good in general terms, but there were also prominent problems that needed urgent addressing, Xi said.
He cited faults among senior party members, including lax discipline, detachment from the people, arbitrariness and inaction, acts of individualism, factionalism, money worshipping and violations linked to formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance.
Nepotism and election fraud had endured as some party officials sold positions of power and bartered positions, Xi said, while a handful had formed cliques to pursue selfish interests.
Advice fully heeded
The drafting of the two documents began in March. In the eight months that followed, drafters conducted research, solicited opinions and made revisions. The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau convened to review the drafts.
Some retired CPC officials, non-communist parties, leaders of the ALL-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and people with no party affiliation were asked to advise.
It is the shared will of the entire party and people of all ethnic groups to uphold the central and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee, and to safeguard the core leadership, Xi said, citing the feedback.
Senior officials crucial
Xi also accounted for an emphasis on senior officials in the two documents.
The management of officials, especially high-ranking ones, was imperative to strengthening party-building, and managing members of the CPC Central Committee, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau, was crucial.
Members of the CPC Central Committee must observe the party’s political discipline and rules, and were obliged to voice opposition and report to the central committee promptly if they spotted misconduct that violated the Party Constitution or discipline, or compromised party unity, the regulation stipulated.
The norms required plans for senior officials to implement the norms, guiding and pushing senior officials to set examples in observing and implementing the norms.