Understanding CPC's push to advance full, rigorous Party self-governance with higher standards

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Monday called for advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance with higher standards and urged more concrete measures to provide a strong guarantee for achieving the goals and tasks of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026–2030).

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

Implementing major decisions of CPC Central Committee

At the meeting, Xi underscored the importance of implementing major decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee, describing it as a fundamental requirement for upholding CPC authority and its centralized, unified leadership.

Hao Dong, a professor at the National Academy of Governance, said this year marks a crucial starting point for the 15th Five-Year Plan period. To translate major decisions of the Party Central Committee into concrete results, he noted, strong and effective discipline safeguards are indispensable.

"The more effective Party governance and discipline enforcement are, the stronger the guarantee for economic and social development," Hao said. Through self-reform, correcting deep-seated problems, fostering a sound political environment, motivating officials to take responsibility and rallying public support, sustained positive momentum can be injected into China's social and economic development.

Xi stressed that Party organizations at all levels, as well as Party members and officials, must strengthen their sense of political responsibility and implement the decisions and plans of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee through concrete actions. He called for more targeted, precise, and regular oversight and inspections to ensure major decisions are fully implemented.

Song Wei, dean of the School of Marxism at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, said "more targeted, precise and regular supervision" places higher demands on oversight methods. He cited the application of big data and artificial intelligence at the grassroots level, such as the management of rural collective assets and the distribution of poverty-alleviation funds, which has greatly enhanced transparency. This, he said, represents a valuable exploration of the "precise, effective and regular" supervision emphasized by Xi.

Confining power to an institutional cage

Xi also stressed that confining power to an institutional cage is an important task in exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance.

Following the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee introduced the eight-point decision, targeting issues of greatest public concern. With clear rules and strict constraints, the decision brought about significant improvements in Party conduct and government behavior.

At the beginning of 2026, the CCDI and the National Commission of Supervision publicly named and detailed seven typical cases involving violations of the eight-point decision, directly exposing problems and producing a strong deterrent effect.

Public disclosure of typical cases around major holidays, such as Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day, New Year's Day, and the Spring Festival, has become a regular practice, with each key time point closely monitored as part of sustained efforts to strengthen Party conduct.

Hao described the eight-point decision as a landmark move to build CPC credibility in the new era, noting that it has helped turn good practices into social norms, thereby contributing to full and rigorous Party self-governance.

At Monday's plenary session, Xi further emphasized that placing power within institutional cage requires not only continuously improving rules and regulations, but also strengthening enforcement.

Song cited a regulation issued by the Party Central Committee in May 2025 on promoting frugality and opposing waste in Party and government organs. "After the regulation was introduced, what mattered most was supervision over its implementation," he said. "Violations were corrected resolutely and handled seriously. This reflects the general secretary's emphasis not only on establishing systems, but also on ensuring their effective operation."

Advancing anti-corruption fight

At the fourth plenary session of the 20th CCDI last year, Xi pointed out that the anti-corruption struggle remains severe and complex, and that eliminating the breeding ground and conditions for corruption remains a daunting task.

At Monday's meeting, he reiterated that the fight against corruption is a major struggle that the Party cannot afford to lose and must never lose.

"The anti-corruption struggle concerns the very foundation of the Party's governance and the people's trust in the Party," Song said. "From the broader perspective of Party and state development, it must never stop or retreat. It is a battle without gunfire."

Xi noted that since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party has forged a unique Chinese path in combating corruption by addressing both symptoms and root causes, and by taking an integrated approach that ensures officials dare not, cannot and do not want to be corrupt. He stressed the need to maintain a firm stance, leaving corrupt officials with no place to hide.

Cao Liu, director of the National Supervision and Anti-Corruption Research Center at China University of Political Science and Law, explained that "not daring to be corrupt" focuses on strong deterrence; "not being able to be corrupt" emphasizes institutional and systemic constraints; and "not wanting to be corrupt" aims to cultivate a clean political culture and strengthen moral awareness.

"Achieving their coordinated and integrated effect has been a key feature of China's sustained anti-corruption efforts since the 18th CPC National Congress, particularly after the 20th CPC National Congress," Cao said.

Hao said Xi's speech sent two clear messages: the Party's resolve to advance full and rigorous self-governance remains unwavering, and it will continue to strengthen discipline inspection and supervision through a more scientific, problem-oriented approach. "Only by continuously enhancing the Party's capacity for self-purification, self-improvement and self-reform, can Chinese modernization advance steadily and sustainably," Hao said.