The Scientific Guide for Rule-Based Party Self-Governance on the New Journey in the New Era: An Analysis of Xi Jinping’s Book Entitled Rule-Based Party Self-Governance

To do a good job of governing the country, we must first do a good job of pursuing law-based CPC self-governance. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee, with General Secretary Xi Jinping at its core, has committed to full and rigorous rule-based self-governance. This approach integrates law-based national governance with Party institution- and rule-based self-governance. The Party has strictly implemented the Party Constitution and advanced rules and regulations aligned with the broader objectives of the Party and the country. As a result, a relatively complete system of intra-Party regulations has been established, leading to an unprecedented scale of promotion and significant outcomes. These efforts have markedly improved the scientific, institutionalized, and standardized measures to strengthen the Party. The recently published book by Xi Jinping, entitled Rule-Based Party Self-Governance, includes 400 major excerpts by Xi Jinping on ten topics. Thoroughly studying and implementing Xi Jinping’s important expositions on rule-based Party self-governance is of vital importance to enhancing our consciousness and resolve in this regard, thoroughly studying and implementing the guiding principles from the 20th CPC National Congress, enacting the general requirements for strengthening the Party in the New Era, and improving the system of full and rigorous Party self-governance.

I. Adhering to the Correct Political Direction to Ensure Rule-Based Party Self-Governance Politically Guarantees That the Development of the Party and the Country

Without rules and regulations, people will become unrestrained, and the Party will fall into chaos. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that we must fully leverage the significant role of intra-Party regulations in upholding the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. This is crucial for ensuring the Party’s long-term governance, the country’s enduring peace and stability, advancing the new project of strengthening the Party in the New Era, and pursuing comprehensive and rigorous self-governance of the Party.

These measures ensure that the Party remains a strong leadership core in the historical process of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. They provide robust political guarantees for building a modern socialist country in all respects and realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. The first and second topics of the book reflect General Secretary Xi Jinping’s profound insights on the critical issue of enabling rule-based Party self-governance to serve as a political guarantee for the development of both the Party and the country.

Strengthening intra-Party rules and regulations is a long-term and fundamental strategy for achieving full and rigorous Party self-governance. “To cure the disease, it is wise to find the root cause.” Rules and regulations are foundational, overarching, ongoing, and enduring. General Secretary Xi Jinping has profoundly pointed out that rigorous Party self-governance relies not only on mindset education but also on institutional safeguards. Relying on institutions is a long-term and fundamental strategy, and this is a crucial experience.

Our Party has always emphasized the importance of strengthening intra-Party rules and regulations, using them to pursue self-governance and enhance the Party’s capacity and leadership. Under new historical conditions, significant changes have occurred in both international and domestic situations. Our Party faces major changes in its governance environment and conditions, confronting the four major tests[1] and four major dangers,[2] which are long-term, complex, and grave.

To resolve prominent conflicts and problems within the Party and effectively address major challenges and dangers, it is crucial to improve regulations and systems and tighten institutional safeguards. This approach not only helps to more thoroughly and effectively resolve existing conflicts and problems but also prevents new ones from emerging and spreading, and stops resolved conflicts and problems from resurfacing.

General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized the importance of positioning institutional development as a key component of efforts to strengthen the Party. By consolidating achievements in mindset, organization, work style, and anti-corruption efforts, and by strengthening institutional enforcement, we can provide robust institutional guarantees for the Party’s long-term governance.

We must enhance our consciousness and resolve in pursuing rule-based self-governance of the Party, enabling it to serve as a political guarantee for the development of both the Party and the country. The world today faces profound changes unseen in a century, and institutional competition is a critical aspect of the competition in composite national strength. Institutional advantages are a key strength for a country to seize the strategic initiative.

When institutions are stable, the country is stable; when institutions are strong, the country is strong. General Secretary Xi Jinping has summarized the remarkable achievements and new important experiences accumulated in developing intra-Party rules and regulations. He emphasizes adhering to the correct political direction, elevating our political standing, shouldering political responsibilities, and continuing to advance intra-Party rules and regulations centered on the overall work of the Party and the country. Practice has proven that full and rigorous Party self-governance is not only a political guarantee but also a political guide.

The entire Party must improve the system of the Party’s leadership, deepen reforms in the Party’s institutional development, enhance systems for the Party to lead all organizations and undertakings, and strengthen the system of full and rigorous Party self-governance. This ensures that the CPC exercises overall leadership and coordinates the efforts of all sides, and that under the Party’s strong leadership, the ship carrying the great dream of the Chinese people forges ahead through the waves.

Being committed to rule-based Party self-governance and improving systems to resolutely uphold the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is conducive to driving the entire Party to ensure the Two Upholds. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that upholding the Party Central Committee’s centralized, unified leadership and establishing and safeguarding the Party’s leadership core is the common aspiration a of the entire Party and the Chinese people, an urgent need to advance full and rigorous Party self-governance and enhance the Party’s creativity, cohesion and combat capability, and a fundamental guarantee to maintain the correct direction of the Party and the country’s cause. We must further strengthen intra-Party rules and regulations, accelerating the formation of a system of intra-Party rules and regulations covering all aspects of the Party’s leadership and efforts to strengthen the Party. We must adhere to the correct political direction, reinforce the Four Consciousnesses, strengthen the Four-Sphere Confidence, and ensure the Two Upholds. The Two Upholds are a major political achievement and valuable experience of our Party since the 18th CPC National Congress, a common will formed through the Party’s revolutionary tempering, and a creative application of democratic centralism in the New Era. They are unified with the principle of putting the people first serve as the fundamental guarantee for upholding and strengthening the Party’s overall leadership and practicing the Party’s purpose.

General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that the Two Upholds are the highest political principle and fundamental political discipline of the Party. For such a large party and country, if the authority of the Party Central Committee as the unified leadership is not upheld, if what the Party Central Committee decides is not implemented, and everyone just says and does their own thing, then nothing can be accomplished. In strengthening intra-Party regulations and systems, we must adhere to the correct political direction and ensure that the entire Party resolutely upholds the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee and that the Party’s leadership becomes even stronger and its governing status more consolidated.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee, with General Secretary Xi Jinping at its core, has made ensuring the whole Party obeys the central leadership and upholding the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee the primary task of political development within the Party. It has reformed and improved the systems and mechanisms for upholding the Party’s leadership, strictly enforced the Party’s political discipline and rules, and successively formulated and revised intra-Party regulations such as the Code of Conduct for Intra-Party Political Activities in the Current Context, Regulations of the CPC on Intra-Party Oversight, Regulations of the CPC Central Committee on Upholding and Maintaining the Central Committee’s Centralized, Unified Leadership, Regulations of the CPC on Reporting Major Issues for Approval, Working Regulations of the CPC on Leading Party Members’ Group, and the Rules of Procedure of the CPC Central Committee. This institutionally guarantees the Party leads everything and ensures the Party Central Committee’s centralized, unified leadership is even stronger and more effective.

The Party Central Committee has also made a series of major institutional arrangements, such as the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the Party groups of the NPC Standing Committee, the State Council, the CPPCC National Committee, the Supreme People’s Court, and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate reporting to the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and its Standing Committee annually. It has made it a rule for members of its Political Bureau to make written work reports to the Party Central Committee and General Secretary Xi Jinping annually. It has also improved the working mechanisms of various central decision-making and deliberation coordination bodies. This ensures the entire Party consciously looks to its Central Committee for guidance and resolutely ensures the Two Upholds, unifying thinking, enhancing political unity, and acting in concert.

II. Improve the System of Intra-Party Regulations with the Party Constitution as the Fundamental Basis and the Principle of Democratic Centralism as the Core

In pursue system- and rule-based Party self-governance, we must take the Party Constitution as the fundamental basis and the principle of democratic centralism as the core, improving the system of intra-Party regulations, and enhancing the authority and enforcement of intra-Party regulations. The third and fourth topics of the book reflect General Secretary Xi Jinping’s incisive expositions on this subject to improve the system of intra-Party regulations.

The Party Constitution is the overarching basis and guideline for full and rigorous Party self-governance. It is the fundamental charter of the Party, the general program for founding the Party and for its self-governance and supervision, and the most basic, important and comprehensive code of conduct for the whole Party. The Party’s systems stem from the Party Constitution, which is the source of all intra-Party regulations. Throughout more than a century of struggle, our Party has always conscientiously reviewed its successful experiences and promptly incorporated important achievements of practical, theoretical and institutional innovations into the Party Constitution, enabling it to play an important guiding role in advancing the Party’s cause and strengthening itself.

General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that Reverence for the Party Constitution is the fundamental political discipline. The unity of the Party in thinking and action should first of all be embodied in understanding and complying with the Party Constitution. We must firmly establish awareness of the Party Constitution, truly making it the fundamental standard for strengthening Party conduct, and the fundamental basis for guiding the Party’s work, intra-Party activities, and efforts to strengthen the Party. We must put all provisions of the Party Constitution into practice in actions and undertakings. We must take the Party Constitution as the fundamental basis to establish a sound system of intra-Party regulations, solidly advancing the Party’s work and efforts to strengthen the Party with soundly-designed institutions, standards and procedures,

Conscientiously studying and strictly abiding by the Party Constitution

For a large party like the CPC with over 96 million members, aligning thinking and actions with the Party Constitution is of vital importance. After the 18th CPC National Congress, the first article, entitled “Conscientiously Studying And Strictly Abiding by the Party Constitution,” General Secretary Xi Jinping published under his name stressed the importance of studying and abiding by the Party Constitution, guiding Party officials at all levels to conscientiously study, abide by, implement and uphold the Party Constitution, truly infusing it into both our thoughts and our actions. He pointed out that studying the Party Constitution is a basic requirement for all Party members that must be implemented constantly. Studying the Party Constitution not only requires reading it verbatim and repeatedly to understand it, but also studying it in relation to actual circumstances to understand the reasons behind it. We must study it in relation to the Party’s history and its current historical position and mission; in relation to the Party’s theoretical development and strengthening ideals and convictions today; in relation to the Party’s basic line and doing well in all work today; in relation to the Party’s nature and purpose and better serving the people today; in relation to the obligations and rights of Party members and playing an exemplary vanguard role today; in relation to Party discipline and rules and resolving prominent issues within the Party. We must deeply reflect on what requirements the Party Constitution sets for Party organizations, members and officials, and how to put them into practice; reflect on our own shortcomings compared to the Party Constitution and how to improve; and reflect on which aspects of full and vigorous Party self-governance need to be strengthened and which systems need to be improved. Through such study, we can fully grasp and apply the Party Constitution.

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that Party rules and disciplinary regulations are an extension and specification of the Party Constitution. By studying Party rules and disciplinary regulations well, we can understand what we should and should not do, and what we can and cannot do. We must educate and urge officials to conscientiously fulfill all responsibilities bestowed by the Party Constitution, strengthen their Party identity, discipline awareness and sense of rules, consciously constraining their words and deeds with the Party Constitution, rules and disciplinary regulations, and strictly act in accordance with the Party’s principles, disciplines and codes of conduct.

Improving and conscientiously implementing all specific systems of democratic centralism. Democratic centralism is the fundamental organizational principle and leadership system of our Party, and the fundamental guarantee for inspiring the Party’s creativity and maintaining its unity. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that our Party’s democratic centralism is a system in which we have both centralism and democracy, both discipline and freedom, both unity of will and personal ease of mind. It is a system that integrates democracy and centralism. Democratic centralism has two aspects: democracy and centralism, which are interdependent and indispensable. Intra-Party democracy is the lifeblood of the Party. In promoting democracy, everyone can express various opinions and propositions. The centralism in democratic centralism means the minority defers to the majority—a democratic centralism aimed at better guiding and promoting democracy. Only by fully promoting democracy while practicing proper centralism can we promptly unite correct opinions and promptly correct incorrect views and practices. We must unite democracy and centralism, truly turning the advantages of democratic centralism into our Party’s political, organizational, institutional and work advantages, forming a powerful force to drive the advancement of the cause of the Party and the country. We must improve and implement all systems of democratic centralism, and improve the system of intra-Party institutions with democratic centralism at the core. Through long-term efforts, our Party has formed a relatively complete system of democratic centralism.

Implementing democratic centralism is the common political responsibility of the entire Party. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out that we must fully grasp the basic requirements of all systems of democratic centralism, having a clear idea of what should and should not be done to avoid being muddled on this issue. We must uphold the principles of democratic centralism in handling important relationships within the Party, such as between organizations, between organizations and individuals, between Party members, and between collective leadership and individual responsibilities, promoting intra-Party democracy and harmony, practicing proper centralism, and upholding Party unity. We must strengthen education and training on democratic centralism to ensure the whole Party acts in accordance with it, fostering a sound political environment that inspires individuals while relying on the collective, encourages trust and criticism, allows for mistakes but timely correction, and enables both unity and adherence to principles.

General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that how well democratic centralism is implemented depends crucially on senior officials’ performance. They must take the lead in promoting intra-Party democracy, fostering an atmosphere of democratic discussion, encouraging speaking truth to facts and thoughts, and skillfully employing democratic methods for scientific decision-making, relationship coordination, conflict resolution, and work advancement. They must take the lead in upholding the authority of the Central Committee and closely follow it in terms of their thinking, political orientation, and actions. They must comprehensively implement the Central Committee’s lines, principles, policies and major work plans. They must build consensus and pool strength to ensure the effective implementation of the Central Committee’s policies and decisions. They must champion collective leadership, paying greater attention to institutional development, strictly following procedures, rules and the collective will. They must take the lead in criticism and self-criticism, strengthening the solemnity of intra-Party political activities, enhancing leadership unity, and improving the ability to resolve internal conflicts and problems. They must fully implement institutions, strictly observing required procedures instead of taking shortcuts or making arbitrary changes for expediency. Matters that require reporting to the Party Central Committee and higher authorities must never be decided unilaterally or without prior approval.

III. Advancing Intra-Party Regulation Development Centered on the Overall Situation of the Party and State and Improving Intra-Party Regulation Quality

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee, with General Secretary Xi Jinping at its core, has always planned to strengthen intra-Party regulations in the New Era from an overall strategic perspective. It has improved the systems and mechanisms for formulating intra-Party regulations, built a high-quality system of intra-Party regulations, and formed a relatively complete system by the Party’s centenary, making historic achievements in institutional development. In the fifth and sixth topics of the book, General Secretary Xi Jinping put forward a series of clear requirements for strengthening intra-Party regulations in the New Era by keeping focused on overall Party and state work and grasping regulation quality as the key.

Serving the overall Party and state work is a major principle that must be firmly grasped in strengthening intra-Party regulations. As the highest force of political leadership, the Party exercises overall leadership over all areas of endeavor and coordinates the efforts of all sides, which determines that intra-Party regulations must be strengthened in all aspects of Party leadership and efforts to strengthen the Party. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that we must accurately grasp the major principles of strengthening intra-Party regulations, intensifying the formulation of intra-Party regulations to make up for institutional weaknesses. We must serve overall Party and state work. Because our current overarching objectives are the great struggle, great project, great cause, and great dream, the five-sphere integrated plan and the four-pronged comprehensive strategy, we must proceed centered on the overall Party and state agenda. We must pay greater attention to governance capacity building, enhance the consciousness of acting by institutions and laws, and skillfully employ systems and laws to govern the country, transforming all institutional advantages into governing efficacy and elevating the Party’s ability to govern scientifically, democratically and in accordance with law. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee with General Secretary Xi Jinping at the core has threaded institutional development through all efforts to strengthen the Party in the New Era, comprehensively and multi-dimensionally strengthening the intra-Party regulations. It has established a system rooted in the Party Constitution, with democratic centralism at its core, and framed by regulations governing Party organization, leadership, self-development, and oversight, ensuring comprehensive regulation in all areas.

Grasping regulation quality as the key and intensifying intra-Party regulation formulation

The key is not quantity but quality of institutions, emphasizing practicality and providing pertinent guidance. For a long time, many of our regulations have remained formalities, with a major reason being the regulations themselves lacked a scientific basis, were divorced from reality and unfeasible. Some provisions were too principled without strong operability, some had requirements but no accountability or rigid constraints, while others overlapped and even contradicted each other.

General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed we must enhance the quality of intra-Party regulation formulation through in-depth investigation and research and extensive solicitation of opinions. We must grasp the cyclical patterns of institutional development, and promptly enact, revise or abolish regulations. This maintains institutional vitality while ensuring stability, avoiding constant dramatic overhauls and ensuring every regulation can stand, be implemented and enforced. We must continuously improve regulations based on circumstances and the need to strengthen the Party to ensure systematic coherence and practicality, preventing detachment from reality, ambiguity and lagging behind practice. We should adhere to the principles of comprehensive legality and practical effectiveness, embody the spirit of reform and the rule of law, and integrate the Central Committee’s requirements, public expectations, actual needs, and fresh experiences to strive to form a complete and systematic institutional framework.

Adhering to a problem-oriented approach and the spirit of reform, advancing comprehensive measures, and continuously closing the gap between the bars of the institutional cage

As socialism with Chinese characteristics enters a New Era, the Party Central Committee, with General Secretary Xi Jinping at its core, has adopted a problem-oriented approach, strengthening regulations and systems to address prominent issues in Party self-supervision and governance, thereby achieving institutional progress in step with the times. Formulating a five-year plan for drafting Party regulations is an innovation and an important measure to institutionalize the strengthen of the Party. In 2013 and 2018, the Party Central Committee issued five-year plans for formulating regulations of the CPC Central Committee on intra-Party regulations, providing top-level design for developing Party regulations and systems in the New Era and rolling out a series of landmark, key and foundational regulations.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that we must grasp quality improvement as the key, maintain a problem-oriented approach, fill gaps in basic and major regulations, and ensure provisions are truly effective. We must advance supply-side structural reform for institutions—swiftly establishing regulations in areas lacking regulations, promptly improving incomplete ones, and promoting mature practices in a timely manner. We should extract generally applicable, mature practices into regulatory provisions, ensuring coordination among regulations on strengthening Party leadership and the Party itself at all levels, coherence between higher and lower regulations, and an integrated package of substantive, procedural and guaranteeing regulations to produce a holistic effect. We must keep pace with the times in advancing institutional reform and innovation, enshrine achievements in governing the Party into regulations, and organize the formulation and revision of Party regulations to continuously strengthen Party self-supervision and governance.

General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that comprehensive measures must focus on addressing root problems as the fundamental task. Making regulations requires systematic and dialectical thinking while upholding principles to embody guidance, pertinence and operability. We must adapt to changing times by reforming systems, mechanisms, and regulations that fail to meet practical development needs while continuously establishing new ones, making all institutional systems more scientific and complete to realize governance of Party, state and social affairs based on soundly established institutions, standards, and procedures. In establishing systems, we cannot be overbroad or overly meticulous, neither putting a cat behind a cow gate nor making them excessively cumbersome. Institutions should both focus on problem-solving and remain simple and practical, adopting effective measures that address the core issues. They should be goal-oriented while also grounded in reality, striving to unify the implementation of Central Committee requirements, the needs of practice, and grassroots expectations. Additionally, institutions should pursue innovative development while ensuring organic integration, aligning seamlessly with existing intra-Party regulations and systems—continuing what should be continued, improving what should be improved, establishing what needs to be established, and implementing what needs to be implemented. Moreover, it is essential to conduct thorough filing and review work, adhering to the principles that all regulations must be filed, all filings must be reviewed, and all errors must be corrected, to maintain the unity and authority of intra-Party regulations and Party policies.

IV. Implementing Systems to Better Convert Institutional Advantages into Governance Efficacy

The vitality of regulations and systems lies in implementation. rule-based Party self-governance necessitates strengthening systemic execution to better convert China’s institutional advantages into governance efficacy. The seventh to tenth topics of the book brings together General Secretary Xi Jinping’s major statements on simultaneously enforcing systems, improving Party members’ theoretical understanding and pursuing institutional Party self-governance; integrating law-based national governance and rule-based Party self-governance; and leveraging the exemplary role of leading officials.

Carrying out strict enforcement and investigation for violations to truly unleash the force of iron disciplines and prohibitions

“Even with good laws and intentions, they are useless without the right people implementing them, instead becoming detrimental policies.” Regulations are meant to be followed and executed. While formulating regulations is important, more crucial is ensuring implementation, which deserves the bulk of our efforts.

General Secretary Xi Jinping noted that although there are plenty of Party regulations, the primary issue is weak implementation. This weakness stems from two main factors: a lack of enforcement capacity and a lack of confidence. Good regulations that are not implemented remain mere words on paper, books on shelves, and “scarecrows” or “paper tigers” that not only fail to produce due effects, but undermine public trust in the regulatory system. We must enhance systemic execution, ensuring implementation down to each person and matter, using regulations to govern power, affairs and personnel, and resolutely upholding the solemnity and authority of institutions. Years of practice have taught us that there are no shortcuts to implementing regulations—the key lies in rigorous enforcement.

 General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed using strict disciplines to uphold institutions and enhance the constraining power and execution of disciplines. Without strict disciplines as guarantees, regulations are just empty words. We must improve a comprehensive regulatory oversight mechanism, strengthen routine inspections and special reviews. We must resolutely and rigorously investigate and address violations of discipline and regulations, particularly those who cross the “red line,” breach the “bottom line,” or enter prohibited areas. We should not let those with power go unpunished, fail to address violations due to their minor nature, or tolerate those involved in widespread noncompliance. We will not leave any “back doors” or “loopholes,” and we must firmly prevent the “broken window effect” by enforcing strict discipline to ensure the implementation of our systems. We should incorporate systemic execution into performance evaluations to urge officials to faithfully fulfill duties and skillfully employ regulations. We must uphold accountability and stringent punishment by combining supervision, performance reviews, and accountability to institutionalize and proceduralize the subjects, matters, procedures, and methods of accountability. Effective accountability should be used to strengthen systemic implementation, holding officials responsible not only for abuse of power but also for dereliction of duty. We will pursue both direct responsibility and leadership accountability, creating a powerful driving force for regulatory implementation and fully leveraging institutional authority. Additionally, we must promote awareness of regulations, and discipline across the Party to guide all members and officials in firmly establishing legal, regulatory, and disciplinary awareness. This will help them understand rules and regulations, maintain a sense of awe and vigilance, and foster an atmosphere of respecting, observing, and defending institutions.

Coordinating efforts to improve Party members’ theoretical understanding and pursue institutional Party self-governance

Theory is the soul, while institutional governance provides the guarantee. In pursuing full and rigorous Party self-governance, we must coordinate efforts to improve Party members’ theoretical understanding and pursue institutional Party self-governance—an important lesson from our practice. General Secretary Xi Jinping noted that in pursuing full and rigorous Party self-governance, we must both improve Party members’ theoretical understanding and pursue institutional Party self-governance. These efforts represent complementary “soft” and “hard” measures that produce synergistic effects when implemented together. Political and moral education should be integrated with the implementation of regulations, focusing on substantive issues rather than empty rhetoric. Strengthening institutional Party self-governance should enhance Party members’ theoretical understanding, and vice versa.

General Secretary Xi Jinping also highlighted that moral education guides individuals toward goodness, serving as the necessary premise and foundation for discipline, while discipline punishes wrongdoing, acting as the staunch support and guarantee for morality. In comprehensively pursuing full and rigorous Party self-governance, we must not only emphasize punishment and clearly defined disciplinary boundaries but also guide individuals toward moral upliftment by leveraging the leading role of ideals, convictions, and moral integrity. We must unify rule-based and virtue-based Party self-governance, combining high standards with clear bottom lines. We must firmly grasp the improvement of Party members’ theoretical understanding as the Party’s foundation, educating and guiding Party members and officials to consciously strive for higher ideals and convictions, constantly elevating their commitment to the Party and theoretical level while maintaining a firm pursuit of our lofty ideals and objectives. Simultaneously, we must use Party discipline as a criterion to strengthen rigid constraints, instill a sense of awe and vigilance, and uphold bottom lines.

Integrating law-based national governance and Party rule-based self-governance

In the new context, for our Party to fulfill its significant responsibilities of governing and rejuvenating the country, it must pursue rigorous Party Constitution-based Party self-governance and Constitution-based national governance. General Secretary Xi Jinping noted that the entire Party operates within the scope of the Constitution and laws, which is our high degree of self-awareness and a concrete manifestation of upholding the Party’s leadership—the Party and the law, as well as the Party’s leadership and national governance, are highly unified. We must give play to the complementary roles of law-based national governance and rule-based Party self-governance, ensuring the Party governs the country in accordance with the Constitution and laws while pursuing its rigorous self-governance and supervision in accordance with intra-Party regulations.

If the law and Party discipline are not upheld, both the Party and the country will face ruin. The red lines of Party discipline and state laws are not to be crossed. We must reiterate to all Party members, especially senior officials, that the law-based governance of the country, the law-based exercise of state power, and the law-based administration of government must be upheld. No one is permitted to disregard the Central Committee’s major policies or to establish their own “private fiefdom” where they may act as they wish; no one is permitted to treat the Party’s political discipline standards and rules cavalierly or to act in flagrant violation of them; and no one is permitted to place themselves above the law or to use judicial power as an instrument to obtain personal benefits or satisfy selfish desires.

General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed that rule-based Party self-governance wins the hearts of Party members, while law-based national governance wins the hearts of the people. We must advance both law-based national governance and regulation- and rule-based Party self-governance in a coordinated and integrated manner. Laws apply to all citizens, while Party regulations and systems apply to all Party members. We must adhere to the principle that Party discipline is stricter than the law and takes precedence over it, achieving a clear separation between Party discipline and national law. This has been a significant institutional innovation since the 18th CPC National Congress.

We must pursue law-based national governance and rule-based Party self-governance, emphasizing the importance of discipline and rules. Strict enforcement of both discipline and law is essential. We should continue to strengthen the Party’s regulatory system, ensuring alignment and coordination between Party regulations and the national Constitution and laws. This will help create a complementary, mutually reinforcing, and mutually guaranteeing relationship between national laws regulations and Party regulations.

Giving full play to the exemplary leading role of officials as the key minority

“As the leaders behave, so do their subordinates.” Since the 18th CPC National Congress, a notable feature of full and rigorous Party self-governance is not only setting universal requirements for the majority of members through strict education and discipline, but also imposing even higher and stricter standards on the key minority, especially senior officials, with stricter supervision and oversight. The key to full and rigorous Party self-governance lies in the key minority of leading officials. General Secretary Xi Jinping noted that regardless of how high their positions, high their seniority, or great their contributions, leading officials must strictly abide by laws and regulations. We must ensure that everyone is equal before our regulations and that there are no privileges or exceptions in their implementation. Higher standards must be applied to leading bodies and officials—they cannot be the same as those for ordinary citizens. The more senior the leading official, the more self-aware they must be about laws and regulations, taking the lead to set examples and act in accordance with them. They must be especially skilled in acting, managing personnel, and exercising power in accordance with laws and regulations, conscientiously upholding their solemnity and authority.

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that leading officials cannot be ignorant of laws or Party regulations. They must proactively establish red lines in their thinking and behavioral boundaries, truly respecting laws and disciplines, and observing rules and codes. We will start with the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, the Political Bureau, and the Central Committee, strictly governing senior officials, strengthening and regulating the Party’s political activities, and purifying the political ecology.

Meanwhile, we must extend full and rigorous Party self-governance down to the grassroots level, constraining Party members and officials with strict standards and measures, forever preserving the Party’s vanguard nature and political character.

[1] This refers to exercising governance, carrying out reform and opening up, developing the market economy and responding to external development.

[2] This refers to lack of drive, incompetence, disengagement from the people, and inaction and corruption.