Xi Jinping’s Explanation of the Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Several Major Issues Concerning Persevering in Advancing Full and Rigorous Party Self-Governance

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Explanation of the Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Several Major Issues Concerning Persevering in Advancing Full and Rigorous Party Self-Governance

Xi Jinping

Comrades:

On behalf of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, I will explain to this plenary session the circumstances surrounding the drafting of the Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Several Major Issues Concerning Persevering in Advancing Full and Rigorous Party Self-Governance (hereinafter, the “Decision”).

I. Considerations in determining the plenary session’s agenda

Party building concerns the Party’s future and destiny and the success or failure of the cause of the Party and the country. This year marks the 105th anniversary of our Party’s founding. The Political Bureau of the Central Committee decided that the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee would focus on studying the issue of persevering in advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance. This is a major decision made by the CPC Central Committee after assessing the historical position of the development of the cause of the Party and the country and considering the overall picture of Chinese modernization.

First, this is a necessary requirement for maintaining the Party’s advanced nature and purity and consolidating its long-term governing position. How to escape the historical cycle of rise and fall is a fundamental question that our Party must answer well if it is to govern for the long term. On this matter, Comrade Mao Zedong gave the first answer, “Let the people supervise the government,” in a cave dwelling in Yan’an at the time; since the 18th CPC National Congress, through the practice of full and rigorous Party self-governance, we have found the second answer: “self-reform.” Party self-reform has a precise meaning: turning the blade inward, exercising full and rigorous self-governance, maintaining the Party’s advanced nature and purity, and achieving the Party’s self-purification, self-improvement, self-renewal, and self-enhancement. For more than 100 years, throughout our Party’s history of leading the people in an unremitting struggle to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we have consistently attached great importance to managing and governing the Party, had the courage to uphold truth and correct errors, and continually grown stronger by relying on our own strength and the people’s support to solve our own problems. A century-old party remains vigorous, youthful, and in its prime.

At the same time, we must clearly recognize that full and rigorous Party self-governance is a long-term strategic task. In recent years, the composition of the Party has changed structurally. The proportion of Party members and officials born after reform and opening up has continued to rise, bringing new requirements for education and management. The mainstream of the Party is good, but many problems and risks remain that weaken the Party’s advanced nature, damage its purity, and affect its long-term governance. In particular, problems of impure thinking, organization, and conduct have not yet been fundamentally resolved, while new problems continue to emerge. In the face of these problems and challenges, only by persevering in advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance and continually clearing away the viruses that erode the Party’s healthy body can we ensure that the Party never changes its nature, color, or character and that our red state is passed down from generation to generation.

Second, this is a necessary requirement for consolidating and developing the favorable political situation in which the whole Party is highly united and unified and the hearts of the Party, the military, and the people are closely united. After the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee squarely faced the grave reality that, for a time, Party leadership had been weakened, hollowed out, and diluted; Party management and governance had not been strict, substantive, or forceful; and some problems within the Party were shocking. It resolutely pursued full and rigorous Party self-governance, continuously addressed prominent problems, fundamentally reversed the lax, loose, and soft state of Party management and governance, halted some unhealthy practices that had long gone unchecked, corrected stubborn ailments that had persisted for years, eliminated serious hidden dangers within the Party, the state, and the military, and made the Party stronger and more powerful through revolutionary tempering. The Party’s overall leadership and the centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee have been significantly strengthened; the adaptation of Marxism to the Chinese context and the needs of the times has achieved a new leap; the Party’s organizational line for the new era has been forcefully implemented; the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulations have demonstrated their iron discipline; discipline building has advanced solidly; the anti-corruption struggle has been unprecedented in intensity and its results are there for all to see; the system of intra-Party regulations has become more complete; and Party organizations at every level have effectively fulfilled their responsibility to manage and govern the Party. Full and rigorous Party self-governance in the new era has accumulated rich experience and opened up a new realm in the self-reform of a century-old party. The Party’s unity has been further consolidated, and the hearts of the Party, the military, and the people have been closely united.

This favorable political situation has not come easily. The whole Party must cherish it all the more and continually consolidate and develop it. This requires us to uphold and apply the valuable experience of full and rigorous Party self-governance in the new era, and persevere in advancing it with higher standards and more practical measures. We must continually strengthen the Party’s political leadership, ideological guidance, organization of the masses, and social appeal, ensuring that the Party always enjoys the people’s wholehearted support and remains the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Third, this is a necessary requirement for fulfilling the Party’s historical mission and ensuring the steady, long-term progress of the cause of the Party and the country. Advancing the great cause of building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation in every respect through Chinese modernization is an unprecedented pioneering undertaking. Through the tenacious efforts of the whole Party and people of all ethnic groups throughout the country since the 18th CPC National Congress, the cause of the Party and the country has achieved historic accomplishments and undergone historic changes, and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process. At the same time, changes in the world, the times, and history are unfolding in unprecedented ways, and we face many risks and challenges on the road ahead. Internationally, the great changes unseen in a century are accelerating; a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation is making rapid breakthroughs; the balance of international power is undergoing profound adjustments; the world has entered a new period of turbulence and change; and uncertain and unpredictable factors in the external environment are increasing. Domestically, after more than 40 years of reform and opening up, China’s economic and social life has undergone tremendous changes. Problems of imbalanced and inadequate development remain prominent, and we face many new issues in further deepening reform across the board, promoting high-quality development, strengthening social development and governance, coordinating development and security, and stimulating and enhancing social vitality.

The key to running China’s affairs well is the Party; the key is full and rigorous Party self-governance. In the face of a complex international and domestic environment and arduous tasks in reform, development, and stability, ensuring the steady and long-term progress of Chinese modernization requires us to vigorously carry forward the great founding spirit of the Party, always bear in mind the “three imperatives,” and continually develop the Party’s fine qualities. We must persevere in advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance and build our Party better and stronger, providing a strong guarantee for building a great modern socialist country in every respect and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in every respect through Chinese modernization.

II. The drafting process for the Decision

In January this year, the CPC Central Committee established a drafting group for documents of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, which I headed. Comrades Wang Huning, Cai Qi, and Li Xi served as deputy heads. Relevant Party and state leaders and responsible officials from relevant central departments and localities took part. The group worked under the leadership of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee. On February 6, the drafting group held its first plenary meeting and formally began drafting the document.

During the drafting, particular attention was paid to the following points.

First, fully implement the Party-building thought of the new era. The Party-building thought of the new era is the Party-building chapter of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and a crystallization of the practical experience and collective wisdom of the Party and the people. The draft Decision took this thought as its guide. It fully implemented its requirements in arranging the document’s framework, summarizing achievements and experience, analyzing the situation and tasks, setting out guiding thought and principles, and proposing policy measures. It followed the laws governing the building of a Marxist ruling party, made full use of the valuable experience of full and rigorous Party self-governance in the new era, and sought to advance innovation in Party management and governance and in strengthening the Party while upholding fundamentals and to promote development through inheritance.

Second, serve the mission and tasks. Serving the development of the cause of the Party and the country has always been an important principle of Party building. The draft Decision remained true to the original aspiration and kept the mission firmly in mind, focused on fulfilling the Party’s mission and tasks on the new journey in the new era, and emphasized the inherent connection between managing and governing the Party, strengthening the Party, and building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation. Every policy measure proposed was closely tied to the needs of the development of the cause of the Party and the country, ensuring that all arrangements for persevering in advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance revolve around the central task and serve the overall interests.

Third, maintain a strict tone. Strictness is key to full and rigorous Party self-governance, and persevering in advancing it requires consistency and strictness to the end. The drafting of the Decision firmly adhered to the requirements that standards for all aspects of Party building be strict; that education, management, and supervision of Party organizations at every level and of Party members and officials be strict; that measures to address misconduct and corruption be strict; and that responsibility for managing and governing the Party be strictly fulfilled. It further deepened and improved the policies and measures for full and rigorous Party self-governance, sending a clear signal that requirements will become stricter over time. At the same time, it combined strict management with care and support and balanced incentives with constraints, achieving both effective strictness and constraints and the stimulation of the whole Party’s enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity.

Fourth, focus on problems. Full and rigorous Party self-governance is undertaken to address prominent problems within the Party. Persevering in advancing it requires studying new circumstances and solving new problems while consolidating existing achievements. The draft Decision focused on key issues and prominent problems in its structure. In planning approaches and measures, it followed the principle of solving whatever problems exist and giving priority to whatever problems are most prominent: identifying the root causes, conducting in-depth study and analysis, and proposing targeted responses.

Fifth, strengthen systems thinking. Persevering in advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance is a systematic undertaking. Political, ideological, organizational, conduct, and discipline building, institutional development, and the anti-corruption struggle must be planned and advanced as an organic whole, with efforts to improve the system of full and rigorous Party self-governance. The draft Decision fully implemented the general requirements for Party building in the new era and upheld political building as the overall lead. It emphasized coordinated efforts across all aspects of Party building and the alignment and coordination of policy measures; leading by example, combining broad coverage with focused work, and addressing both symptoms and root causes; and establishing a working framework that is integrated from top to bottom, combines functional and local responsibilities, and enables joint management. This would effectively enhance the overall performance of Party management and governance.

During the drafting, the CPC Central Committee fully promoted democracy, conducted in-depth research, and widely solicited opinions. On January 31, the CPC Central Committee issued a notice soliciting opinions from all regions and departments on the agenda of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. It also commissioned 16 units to conduct research on 23 key topics. On May 6, I chaired a symposium in Shanghai to hear the views of principal responsible officials from some provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities. On August 3, the draft Decision was circulated within a certain scope of the Party to solicit opinions, including those of some veteran Party comrades. Opinions were also specifically sought from the heads of the central committees of the democratic parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, and representatives of people without party affiliation.

All sides agreed that the CPC Central Committee’s decision to focus the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee on persevering in advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance fully reflects our Party’s clear awareness and firm resolve in strengthening its own development. The draft Decision makes strategic arrangements for persevering in advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance and will certainly become a programmatic document for advancing the great new project of Party building in the new era. It is of major practical significance and long-term guiding importance for further opening a new chapter in managing and governing the Party and strengthening it in the new era, and for uniting and leading the people of all ethnic groups throughout the country in advancing the great cause of building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation in every respect through Chinese modernization. At the same time, all sides put forward many good opinions and suggestions. The drafting group studied them one by one and incorporated as many as it could.

During drafting of the Decision, the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee held three meetings and the Political Bureau of the Central Committee held two meetings to review and revise it, producing the draft Decision submitted to this plenary session for deliberation.

III. The draft Decision’s basic framework and main contents

Apart from its opening and concluding passages, the draft Decision is divided into three major sections.

The first section is Part I, the general introduction. It explains the importance and urgency of persevering in advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance and the overall requirements, in five areas. First, it reviews the glorious history of our Party’s consistent efforts to strengthen Party building for more than 100 years and of uniting and leading the people from one victory to another. Second, it summarizes the great achievements in full and rigorous Party self-governance since the 18th CPC National Congress and explains the major significance of the formation of the Party-building thought of the new era. Third, it analyzes the new circumstances, tasks, and challenges facing full and rigorous Party self-governance. Fourth, it sets out the guiding thought for persevering in advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance. Fifth, it explains the seven principles to be followed.

The second section is the main discussion, comprising Parts II through VIII. It lays out the strategic tasks and major measures for persevering in advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance. Part II, “Strengthening Communists’ Party spirit,” emphasizes that this is a fundamental task of full and rigorous Party self-governance and makes arrangements in five areas: strengthening education in loyalty to the Party; upholding the use of the Party’s innovative theory to unite minds and forge the soul; nurturing Party spirit with the Party’s fine traditions and fine traditional Chinese culture; tempering Party spirit through practice; and strengthening assessment of Party spirit. Part III, “Strictly implementing democratic centralism,” emphasizes that this is an inherent requirement of full and rigorous Party self-governance and makes arrangements in four areas: upholding and strengthening the centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee; improving the quality of intra-Party democracy; strictly implementing decision-making and deliberation rules for leading bodies; and standardizing the duties and exercise of power by the “top leader.” Part IV, “Forging a high-caliber contingent of officials capable of shouldering the major responsibility of national rejuvenation,” emphasizes that strict Party self-governance hinges on strict management of officials and makes arrangements in six areas: upholding the correct orientation in selecting and appointing officials; selecting and appointing officials accurately and scientifically; encouraging officials to establish and practice a correct view of performance; strengthening officials’ ability to work and start undertakings; improving the quality of training and selecting outstanding young officials; and strengthening officials’ management and supervision. Part V, “Building a closely knit organizational system that is integrated from top to bottom and effective in implementation,” emphasizes that Party organizations at all levels are the main actors in full and rigorous Party self-governance and makes arrangements in six areas: giving a leading example through Party organizations in central and state organs; strengthening the functions of local Party committees; coordinating Party building in primary-level Party organizations across all fields; focusing on Party building in emerging fields; strengthening the ranks of Party members; and improving the mechanisms linking Party organizations at all levels. Part VI, “Persevering in improving conduct and enforcing discipline,” emphasizes that this is an effective measure for full and rigorous Party self-governance and makes arrangements in five areas: following the Party’s mass line in the new era; unswervingly implementing the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulations; making conduct building regular and enduring; strictly enforcing discipline; and bringing the educational, constraining, safeguarding, and incentivizing roles of discipline into play in an integrated way. Part VII, “Unswervingly advancing in an integrated manner the principles of not daring to be corrupt, being unable to be corrupt, and not wanting to be corrupt,” emphasizes that this is an important strategy for full and rigorous Party self-governance and a fundamental principle in the anti-corruption struggle, and makes arrangements in four areas: maintaining high pressure in punishing corruption; strengthening constraints and supervision over the exercise of power; consolidating the ideological foundation for honoring integrity and rejecting corruption; and enhancing the overall effectiveness of the integrated effort to ensure that officials do not dare, cannot, and do not want to be corrupt. Part VIII, “Upholding governance of the Party through institutions and in accordance with regulations,” emphasizes that strengthening the system of intra-Party regulations is a long-term and fundamental strategy for full and rigorous Party self-governance and makes arrangements in three areas: improving the system of intra-Party regulations; enhancing the system’s implementation; and vigorously eliminating unwritten rules.

The third section covers improving the Party and state oversight system and fulfilling political responsibility for full and rigorous Party self-governance. It sets out arrangements for each of these two areas.

Comrades, deliberating on and adopting the Decision is the main task of this plenary session. Everyone should think carefully, discuss in depth, and put forward constructive opinions and suggestions so that we can jointly hold this plenary session well and revise the draft Decision well.