Modernizing governance of the Party and the nation

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Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has been focused on identifying and resolving contradictions. As the times have changed, so have the contradictions. From the “people versus imperialism” to “economic development”, the principal contradiction is now unbalanced and inadequate development and people’s ever-growing needs for a better life.

To address the new principal contradiction, it is necessary to shift the political policies to adapt new condition. China needs a satisfied mode to govern the nation—the rule of law.

‍The rule of law

In the 19th CPC National Congress, Xi Jinping stressed that the CPC will strengthen oversight to ensure compliance with the Constitution, advance constitutionality review, and safeguard the authority of the Constitution.

However, what are the differences between the ideas in the political report and those in the past?

Robert Laurence Kuhn, the host of Closer to China with R.L. Kuhn raised a question to Zhou Shuchun, Editor-in-Chief of China Daily Group, “How do you see reform or rule of law or the party in this political report as going to the next step or going into the new era?”

“For example, about the reform and the rule of law there is an idea of modernization of governance on the part of the Party and the country,” Zhou said. “This is the purpose of reform and its assents of the rule of law.”

“Xi has been talking about in the past five years that is the idea of modernizing the governance of the Party and the country and this is something new in the literature of the Party in the reform of the political report of the congress,” he continued.

“I think that is essential for the nation and I think it’s of far-reaching significance for the overall modernization of the nation,” he said.

The rule of law is not only necessary to the socialist market economy, but also a requirement of the establishment of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The CPC will set up a central leading group for advancing law-based governance in all areas.

Anti-corruption drive is a sweeping victory

Xi also reaffirmed the Party's zero tolerance for corruption, saying both those who take bribes and those who offer them will be punished and interest groups will be prevented from arising within the Party.

“I think China is trying to explore a different way of checks and balances of power. The CPC is the ruling party. So in the sense, the Party has to be the opposition of itself, which means self-purification, self-improvement and self-enhancement of the Party,” Zhou noted.

According to Zhou, the most remarkable thing in the past five years is the building and strengthening of the Party.

“The Party has been literally reformed, reshaped or even reborn. So what we see now is a much more mature, much stronger, much firmer and much more powerful Party,” he continued. “That is crucial.”

Promoting the legislation of anti-corruption is necessary to improve the legal system of socialism with Chinese characteristic, and to modernize the national governing system, he said.

“Enhancing the capacity of self-purification of CPC depends on the self-supervision and public supervision,” he said.