The eight-point rules: A cornerstone for CPC's self-reform and clean governance

Editor's note: More than a decade on, the Communist Party of China's eight-point rules remain a defining force in Chinese governance. In this series, CGTN presents in-depth analyses on their significance, exploring why the Party has sustained its leadership for over 70 years and how these rules reshaped both the Party and the nation.

Since its introduction in 2012, the eight-point rules have become a cornerstone of the Communist Party of China's (CPC) efforts to ensure integrity, discipline and public trust. Initially launched to curb extravagance, formalities, bureaucracy and corruption among Party officials, the rules have evolved over the past decade into a defining hallmark of self-reform for the CPC's leadership. The rules not only set the standards for Party members' conduct, but also enable a closer and more accountable bond between the Party and the people.

In January 2025, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, delivered a speech at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. He emphasized the Party's firm stance of zero tolerance towards corruption, calling the eight-point rules ironclad rules.

Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said unprecedented efforts have been made to advance full and rigorous Party governance and the fight against corruption since the beginning of the new era, yielding widely recognized results. He stressed the need to take resolute and sustained actions to fight corruption.

"Corruption is the greatest threat to the Party, and combating it represents the most thorough kind of self-reform," Xi said.

Noting that the fight against corruption remains "a grave and complex challenge," Xi called for strengthening resolve and confidence in this regard.

What are the eight-point rules?

Eight paragraphs featuring slightly over 600 words and introduced by the central Party leadership, the eight-point rules have served as the key code of conduct and regulations for Party leaders and officials since its issuance on December 4, 2012.

According to the eight-point rules, when conducting grassroots field studies, officials should learn from the people on the ground. Official meetings and events must be streamlined, and documents should be precise and relevant. Extravagant ceremonial formalities – such as banners, red carpets and excessive receptions – are prohibited. Security protocols such as traffic controls and road or venue closures should be minimized.

The rules also state that media resources should not be overly occupied by reports of officials' attendance at events. Party members are discouraged from publishing works under their personal names and are required to maintain diligence and frugality both in their professional duties and personal lives.

The significance of the eight-point rules

The CPC has sought to keep pace with changing times, respond to social demands and win lasting public support through constant self-reform by strengthening its leadership and governance capacity.

The eight-point rules are more than just protocol; they are the guardrails for the bond between the Party and the public. Harmful working practices and corruption are two sides of the same coin: one hides and nurtures the other, creating a vicious cycle.

It must be implemented with perseverance until it becomes a regular practice among Party members, Xi once told Party members at the Second Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in 2013.

Solid results yielded 

Since the Party's 18th National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee has rolled out concrete measures to improve conduct and root out corruption.

In just the first eight months of 2025, disciplinary inspection and supervision authorities nationwide filed approximately 642,000 cases, including those involving officials at the ministerial and provincial levels, an increase from last year's figures.

According to the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission, their 107th monthly report, released in August, reported 5,434 cases of violations of the eight-point rules, with 8,185 officials punished.

From the downfall of high-ranking "tigers" to the punishment of low-ranking officials and international cooperation in hunting fugitives, China has deepened its combat against corruption in all fields and shared experiences on the global stage.

As an active participant in and contributor to the global anti-corruption fight, China has taken an active part in anti-corruption consultations under the United Nations, APEC, G20 and other multilateral mechanisms.

China has proposed the Beijing Initiative for Clean Silk Road and the BRICS Initiative on Denial of Safe Haven to Corruption. It has concluded extradition treaties and criminal judicial assistance treaties and signed memorandums of understanding with many countries.

The fight continues

Over the past decade, the eight-point rules have not only endured but also evolved, becoming a hallmark of Xi's governance thought and a vow of the CPC to ensure clean and effective governance.

As the Party marked its 104th anniversary this July, a nationwide education campaign on the eight-point rules was launched, sending a clear message: effective governance rests on strict discipline.

In its quest to break the historical cycle of rise and fall, the CPC found an answer in the 1940s: putting the government under public supervision. Today, a second answer has been discovered – self-reform. The eight-point rules are more than just a policy; they are a response to history, a guide for the present and a vision for the future.

(Cover: Young CPC members tour an exhibition on implementing the spirit of the eight-point rules in Nantong, east China's Jiangsu Province, August 5, 2025. /VCG)