Editor's note: Wang Weiguo, a special commentator for CGTN, is executive dean of the School of Marxism under the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

"Governance thrives when it follows people's will; it fails when it goes against it." This time-tested maxim on statecraft captures the essential link between the rise and fall of political power and the direction of public sentiment.

Since the introduction of the eight-point decision, which is a set of rules adopted by the Party leadership in December 2012 to address chronic bureaucratic issues including official privileges and extravagant banquets, China has seen a genuine shift in official conduct. The decision is not merely a restatement of Communist Party of China (CPC) discipline; it's a direct response to what ordinary people most longed for. In doing so, it has won genuine trust and firm support, forging a powerful unity in which Party and people move forward in the same direction.

"The Party's greatest political strength lies in staying closely connected with the people, while its greatest risk in power is becoming detached from them. The people must always hold the highest place in our hearts." The eight-point decision, by targeting entrenched ills like formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance, made official conduct reform the spearhead of change. Its fundamental purpose was to tear down the invisible wall of distrust between officials and the public, to highlight the Party's founding mission of serving the people and to reinforce the very foundation of its legitimacy as the governing party.

The enforcement of the eight-point decision has significantly boosted both public satisfaction and people's sense of tangible gain. The culture of wasteful extravagance and showy one-upmanship has been curbed, while a healthier, more civil lifestyle is increasingly embraced as social consensus.

Putting the decision into practice means not only addressing grand issues at the national level but also fixing the small but pressing problems that ordinary people encounter daily. Enforcement has zeroed in on problems such as embezzlement of funds meant for public welfare, arbitrary fees and deliberately muddled accounts that hide misuse.

Since the 20th CPC National Congress, supervisory organs across the country have investigated 768,000 cases of misconduct and corruption occurring close to ordinary people, imposed disciplinary measures on 628,000 individuals and transferred 20,000 cases for prosecution. These actions demonstrate to the public that the drive to correct misconduct and fight corruption is both tougher and closer to home and that a cleaner political climate can now be felt in daily life.

Before the eight-point decision, official banquets in many places were all about pomp and one-upmanship. Today, frugality and pragmatism have become the new norm. As people now say with relief, "things really have changed."

In grassroots communities across Zhejiang Province, the once-frequent ritual of official banquets has been sharply reduced. Party cadres are now channeling more of their time and budgets into organizing cultural activities for local residents – a change warmly welcomed by the public. The old burdens of social obligations, like gift-giving and banqueting to maintain connections, have eased. Freed from these "chains of custom," grassroots officials can now go about their work unencumbered and focus more on serving the people.

Meanwhile, reforms such as the "one-stop service window" have left no room for what citizens used to call "smiling-face bureaucracy" – officials who greeted them politely but made things difficult in practice. Today, registering property no longer requires visiting multiple departments over the course of months; it can be done on a single visit and completed within five working days. People can feel in a concrete way that government efficiency has improved.

These practical measures have addressed many of the "urgent needs and deep worries" that ordinary people face, letting them experience fairness, justice and tangible benefits in their daily lives. In turn, these changes have strengthened the public's trust in, and recognition of, the Party.

Perhaps most heartening of all, grassroots officials are finally being freed from the grind of endless inspections, evaluations and the flood of paperwork and meeting marathons that once consumed their days. Time can now be spent in the fields and neighborhoods, helping ordinary people solve real problems.

What the public longed for has now become what the government actually does. In more and more places, the so-called frontline work method, where officials go directly to the communities instead of staying behind desks, is becoming the norm: When the people call, the government answers.

More and more ordinary citizens have moved from being onlookers to becoming participants and even to storytellers and advocates for clean governance. The shift from "you want me to supervise" to "I want to supervise" shows that the eight-point decision has already sunk deep into public consciousness, becoming not just rules but a shared social ethic. What has emerged is a climate where oversight is everyone's business and integrity feels like part of the cultural DNA.

The reason the decision has won such strong popular support is not only that it can restrain misconduct, but also that it has restored a sense of everyone being in this together. In recent years, local cadres have even picked up affectionate nicknames: the "e-scooter secretary," known for zipping through alleyways to deliver services to people's doorsteps and the "one-of-our-own kid," the cadre who eats and lives with ordinary folks as if part of the family. The message is simple: When officials stop setting themselves apart, the people open their hearts.

From the central leadership down to the grassroots, each level has set an example for the one below and led it into action. Over more than a decade of unrelenting efforts, the CPC has shown through concrete actions that its pledge to "never fail the people" is not empty words but a living commitment.

In politics, nothing outweighs the people's trust. On the new journey ahead, we must act always as if under the people's scrutiny, to make sure official conduct reforms are not a one-off campaign but a lasting norm.

By continuing to polish the eight-point decision as its "golden calling card," the Party can keep strengthening its living bond with the people and gather the tremendous strength needed to drive Chinese modernization, build a stronger country and achieve national rejuvenation.

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