What China's approach to Party governance means for global governance

The Communist Party of China (CPC) has reaffirmed its commitment to exercising full and rigorous self-governance, with international experts saying its approach offers valuable lessons for countries seeking to strengthen governance, combat corruption and build public trust.

The fifth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, held from October 26 to 29, reviewed and adopted the resolution of the CPC Central Committee on certain major issues concerning persevering with full and rigorous Party self-governance, setting out strategic plans for the task.

Experts said the meeting provides an important window for the international community to understand the CPC's approach to Party governance and China's governance model.

Strengthening intra-Party rules

Throughout its history, the CPC has attached great importance to Party building and self-governance, strengthening itself by addressing its own challenges through self-reform and the support of the people. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the Party has consistently advanced full and rigorous self-governance, opening up new ground in the self-reform of a century-old party.

The latest plenary session reiterated that strengthening intra-Party rules and regulations is a fundamental and long-term measure for advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance.

Anthony Moretti, an associate professor at Robert Morris University in the United States, said the resolution of the plenary session highlighted how strict discipline helps maintain the CPC's internal unity and strengthen its foundations, providing an important guarantee for China to achieve the goals of its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) and make further progress.

Hisham Shazali, a professor at the University of Khartoum in Sudan, said the CPC's consistent emphasis on strict discipline helps build public trust and, in the long run, contributes to stronger national governance and greater stability. He added that African countries, including Sudan, could draw valuable lessons from China's experience.

A sustained fight against corruption

Corruption is a common governance challenge for countries around the world. The CPC has described the fight against corruption as a "battle" it cannot afford to lose.

The latest plenary session stressed the need to take coordinated steps to ensure that officials do not dare to be corrupt, cannot be corrupt and have no desire to be corrupt. It identified this approach as a key strategy for advancing full and rigorous Party self-governance and a fundamental principle guiding the anti-corruption campaign. It also pledged to carry the campaign of fighting corruption through to the end.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, disciplinary inspection and supervision organs across China have filed 8.105 million cases and punished 7.922 million people, including 963 officials registered at and supervised by the CPC Central Committee.

China's institutional approach to tackling corruption has offered insights for other countries grappling with the same challenge.

Chea Munyrith, president of the Cambodian Chinese Evolution Researchers Association, said China's experience could provide a useful reference for political parties seeking to strengthen institutional capacity, prevent corruption, develop officials with both integrity and professional competence, and improve policy monitoring and evaluation.

Cambodia's ruling Cambodian People's Party has drawn on China's anti-corruption experience and adopted an approach of targeting both senior and lower-ranking officials, commonly described as catching both "big fish" and "small fish." Spain's People's Party, meanwhile, has established an oversight body, known as the Oficina del Cargo Popular, drawing on the CPC's internal supervision mechanisms.

Putting the people at the center

Full and rigorous Party self-governance has helped the CPC maintain broad public support and provided a strong guarantee for advancing Chinese modernization.

A 2025 survey by China's National Bureau of Statistics found that 95.5% of respondents gave positive assessments of the implementation of the CPC Central Committee's eight-point decision on improving Party and government conduct. Meanwhile, 92.2% expressed satisfaction with the positive impact of improvements in Party and government work styles on social conduct.

Ahmed Shaaban, secretary-general of the Egyptian Socialist Party, said the CPC's consistent commitment to putting the people first is fundamental to its continued success.