It has been clearly demonstrated that China’s successful reform and rapid social transition can hardly be achieved without the firm leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and an effective government. Based on past experience, the 19th CPC National Congress has sent out a clear sign that the CPC’s leadership will further be maintained.

At the same time, the Party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has announced that 440 officials at or above provincial or corps level have been investigated for corruption over the past five years, and more than 8,900 city-level officials and over 63,000 county-level officials were punished during that period.

The leading role of the Party and the large number of corruption cases occurring within the Party and the government pose a paradox. Undoubtedly, rampant corruption has been eroding the leading role of the Party. Recognizing the detrimental effects of corruption to the Party, CPC leaders, led by General Secretary of CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping, took resolute anti-corruption measures in the past five years, reflecting their determination to keep the Party clean, strong, rejuvenated and accountable to the people.

The unprecedented anti-corruption campaign has achieved an overwhelming success. It could be said that, without the leading role of the CPC, China could hardly make such astonishing achievements, and without purifying the Party by launching the anti-corruption campaign, the CPC could hardly maintain its leading position.

Realizing the crucial function of anti-corruption moves, the political report of the 19th CPC National Congress vowed to govern the Party strictly by strengthening the Party’s organs from both ideological and institutional perspectives, purifying the political ecosystem of the Party, further setting up disciplinary rules, intensifying supervision and inspection within the Party, showing zero tolerance for corruption cases and particularly keeping a close eye on the “vital few” who are in the leading positions.

To effectively carry out this mission, new measures need to be adopted in the new era.

First, the anti-corruption campaign in China needs to be upgraded to institutional and systematic arrangements by setting up a State Supervision and Investigation Commission and combining the Party’s disciplinary organs with the state anti-corruption bodies. The proposed merger will reinforce the anti-corruption drive, streamline the procedures, unify the standards and make the operation more efficient and effective.

Second, anti-corruption activities should be regular and integrated tasks of all Party organizations. Although the anti-corruption campaign has achieved a sweeping victory, the situation is still critical and challenging, therefore it should be a continuous work that remains on the top of the Party’s agenda in the long run. This long-lasting and uphill work requires not only the disciplinary organs to make further efforts, but also all the Party organs to contribute to and coordinate this task. For example, the Party’s publicity organs should intensify the ideological education of Party members and the organizational organs should select and promote high-quality members to leading positions.

Third, besides investigating or punishing corrupt Party members and officials, the anti-corruption work has far more significant impacts on the Party. It is believed that one of the great challenges is the corruption occurring within the Party and the government. The only effective way to meet this challenge is to carry out a self-imposed revolution by establishing supervision mechanisms.

By doing so, the Party could deal with not only the symptoms but also the root causes. It will become a more mature and responsible political party which keeps its original loyalty to the people and puts people’s interests above all. 

(The author is a professor of Law, Tsinghua University Law School. The article reflects the author's opinion, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.)