Why strict self-governance remains vital to the CPC

Editor's note: Fan Peng, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a research fellow at the Institute of Political Science of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

A national conference on Party building was recently held in Beijing, providing a systematic exposition of the significance, rich substance and practical requirements of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building. The conference underscored the Thought's role as a fundamental guide for strengthening Party building in the new era.

One of the defining features of Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building is the commitment to exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core has incorporated full and rigorous Party self-governance into the "Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy."

Starting with the introduction and implementation of the "Eight-Point Decision on Improving Party and Government Conduct," the Party has strengthened its organizational system, fostered a contingent of high-caliber officials, intensified efforts to improve conduct, enforce discipline and combat corruption, and refine the framework of Party regulations. As a result, the tendency towards lax and weak Party governance have been fundamentally addressed, and full and rigorous Party self-governance has delivered historic and groundbreaking progress.

Today, as profound changes unseen in a century accelerate across the world, and as China faces the demanding tasks of reform, development and stability alongside the challenges associated with long-term governance, the Party must consistently uphold strict standards, measures and a culture of accountability if it is to remain the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Rooted in the political character of a Marxist party, this requires strengthening ideals and convictions, advancing governance of the Party through institutions and regulations, and embedding strict requirements throughout every aspect of Party building, thereby promoting the normalized and institutionalized development of full and rigorous Party self-governance.

First, the Party must strengthen the political foundations of full and rigorous self-governance through thorough self-reform. The CPC is a party guided by lofty ideals and firm convictions. For Communists, ideals and convictions serve as both the spiritual pillar and the political soul, providing the intellectual and ideological foundation for full and rigorous Party self-governance. The longer the Party governs, the more it must remain mindful of the challenges ahead, the greater its mission, the stronger its resolve for self-reform must be.

Full and rigorous Party self-governance is essential for a Marxist political party to preserve its advanced nature and integrity. It is also a strategic measure to ensure that the Party remains true to its founding mission and avoids the risks of complacency, corruption or loss of purpose.

By integrating education in ideals and convictions, strengthening Party consciousness and fostering political loyalty, Party members and officials can internalize strict standards as political, intellectual and behavioral commitments. In doing so, they will stand firm on matters of principle, uphold integrity in the face of power and personal interests and demonstrate responsibility and resolve when confronting risks and challenges.

Second, the Party must advance the normalized and long-term development of full and rigorous Party self-governance based on systems and regulations. Full and rigorous Party self-governance requires not only strengthening the Party through ideological commitment, but also reinforcing it through sound systems. Human nature can waver, power can be misused and discipline can loosen over time.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping has observed, "Virtue uplifts, while vice debases." To prevent the erosion of ideals and convictions, deviations in the exercise of power and the loss of behavioral boundaries, robust systems and clear regulations must serve as safeguards.

System-based Party governance ensures that strict standards are codified, while regulation-based Party governance ensures that they are consistently enforced. Only by improving the institutions, standards and procedures to enforce strict requirements, can discipline remain unaffected by changes in personnel, circumstances or specific situations. Guided by governance through systems and regulations, full and rigorous Party self-governance can evolve from periodic efforts to normalized governance and from targeted initiatives to a more integrated and systematic framework.

Third, institutional innovation in key areas should serve as an important pathway for deepening the practice of full and rigorous Party self-governance. The key to advancing its normalized and institutionalized development lies in embedding institutional development across organizational building, cadre management, conduct improvement and discipline and anti-corruption efforts, ensuring that strict requirements are translated into concrete mechanisms and effective tools.

To be more specific, institutionalizing the Party's organizational system can strengthen both its political and organizational functions, improve coordination throughout the system and ensure effective implementation of decisions and policies, enabling Party organizations tar grassroots level to serve as strong foundations of governance.

Institutionalized cadre management should extend throughout the entire process of selecting, training, supervising and utilizing officials, upholding political standards, strengthening routine oversight and balancing strict management with appropriate support, as well as incentives with accountability.

Institutionalized conduct improvement should ensure the enduring implementation of the spirit of "the Eight-Point Decision," continuously address pointless formalities and bureaucratism and guard against any resurgence of hedonism and extravagance. Institutionalized discipline and anti-corruption efforts should place discipline at forefront while advancing, in an integrated manner, the objectives of ensuring that officials are deterred from corruption, prevented from corruption and disinclined towards corruption. In doing so, deterrence, institutional constraints and ideological education can reinforce one another to form a comprehensive framework for governance.

Last but not least, full and rigorous Party self-governance should be leveraged to enhance governing capacity and governance effectiveness. Xi has emphasized that "to do a good job of governing the country, we must first do a good job of governing the CPC, and that means governing it strictly." Full and rigorous Party self-governance is therefore not merely a matter of Party self-development; it is also an important pillar of China in its modernization drive.

Within China's political system, the Party's leadership runs through the entire process of national governance, and therefore the quality of Party building has a profound impact on governance performance.

By regulating the exercise of Party and government power through full and rigorous self-governance, China can strengthen the stability of institutional implementation, the continuity of policy execution, and the predictability of governance processes. By improving conduct, enforcing discipline and combating corruption, the Party can foster a healthy political environment that, in turn, contributes to a positive social atmosphere and enables the public to experience a stronger sense of fairness and justice.

Through its institutionalized practice, full and rigorous Party self-governance transforms the Party's political, organizational and institutional strengths into governance strengths, providing a solid guarantee for advancing Chinese modernization.

The CPC's unwavering commitment to strict self-governance is a key reason why this century-old party has maintained its vitality and dynamism.

Full and rigorous Party self-governance remains an ongoing endeavor, and so does the Party's commitment to self-reform. On the new journey ahead, advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance requires unwavering adherence to Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building, a long-term commitment to strict standards, continued efforts to govern the Party with systems and regulations and perseverance in carrying the Party's self-reform through to the end.

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