Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Monday stressed ceaseless efforts in promoting full and rigorous Party self-governance and ensuring the implementation of decisions and plans made at the 20th CPC National Congress.

Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks while addressing the second plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

In the interests of the Party's long-term governance, the country's lasting prosperity and stability and the people's happiness, full and rigorous Party self-governance should be the Party's long-term strategy and constant priority, Xi said.

The Party should continue to uphold strict principles, apply strict measures and foster a rigorous environment for its self-governance, and the Party's self-reform should be carried forward staunchly, he said.

While pushing forward strict self-governance, efforts should also be made to encourage enthusiasm, initiative and creativity among Party members and officials, he added.

To do a good job of governing the country, the Party should do a good job of governing itself, Xi said, noting that the country will become strong only if the Party maintains its strength.

He stressed the importance of running the Party with systems and regulations, and improving the systems for exercising full and rigorous self-governance.

Xi ordered strong political oversight to ensure the decisions and plans made at the 20th CPC National Congress are effectively implemented. 

Prominent problems should be found in a timely manner, Xi said, listing examples such as a failure to implement the decisions and prohibitions set by the central leadership, selective or compromised enforcement, protectionism in disregard of the overall interests, and blindly copying others' solutions.

He ordered measures to effectively remove bottlenecks, obstacles and difficulties in implementation and enforcement, and to refine the mechanisms through which the Party Central Committee's major decisions and plans are implemented.

High importance should be placed on strengthening Party discipline, and the requirement for strictness should be integrated throughout all processes ranging from the formulation of Party rules and the dissemination of Party discipline to discipline enforcement oversight, he said. This is to ensure that a high degree of self-consciousness can be developed among all Party members in terms of observing Party rules and discipline.

Noting that the fight against corruption remains grave and complex, and the Party still faces uphill tasks in preventing new cases and rooting out existing ones, Xi urged enhanced efforts to address both the symptoms and root causes of the problem in a systematic way.

Coordinated steps must be taken to see that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity or desire to become corrupt, Xi said.

To keep pressure on officials so that they do not become corrupt, the deterrent effect of a zero tolerance policy and harsh punishment should be maintained, he said.

Corrupt officials who show no sign of restraint should be punished. Corruption that involves both political and economic elements should be resolutely investigated and dealt with, he said.

Action should be taken to prevent leading officials from acting for any interest group or power group, and to forestall any collusion between officials and business people, or any infiltration of capital into politics that undermines the political ecosystem or the environment for economic development, he said.

The launch of initiatives to uproot prominent sectoral, institutional and regional corruption is also imperative, Xi said.

Efforts to ensure officials do not have the opportunity to become corrupt should be intensified, Xi said, calling for advancements in oversight mechanism reform and institutional development in key areas, and for improving institutions and mechanisms to curb corruption.

More measures are needed to ensure that officials do not have the desire to become corrupt, Xi said, stressing the importance of promoting a culture of integrity in the new era.

Improving the laws and regulations targeting bribery is important, as is meting out joint punishment for those offering bribes, Xi said, vowing to crack down harshly on political liars with so-called connections.

Improving the total-coverage, authoritative and highly effective oversight system under the Party's unified leadership is essential to modernizing China's system and capacity for governance, Xi said. 

On refining this oversight system, Xi emphasized the leading role of Party committees, the continued efforts to reform the country's discipline inspection and supervision system, and the strengthened inspections that serve as a powerful tool. 

Xi noted that discipline inspection and supervision organs must remain loyal to the Party, take on tough and arduous tasks, and be adept at tackling their struggles.

He stressed the need to raise awareness of upholding the rule of law, following procedures and producing evidence, and to make discipline inspection and supervision work more well-regulated, law-based and standardized. 

Discipline inspection and supervision organs should submit themselves willingly to oversight from all sides, manage their staff in a strict manner, and punish corrupt elements in the system harshly, so as to prevent being blind to their own problems, he said.

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, addresses the second plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in Beijing, capital of China, January 9, 2023. /Xinhua)