From resolve to rules: Building institutional synergy for self-reform - CGTN

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Editor's note: Song Yuehong, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is deputy director and research fellow at the Institute of Contemporary China Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.

The fifth plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concluded in Beijing on October 29. According to the communique issued after the session, the meeting adopted the Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Certain Major Issues concerning Persevering with Full and Rigorous Party Self-Governance.

At the session, the guiding principles for persevering with full and rigorous Party self-governance were highlighted as follows: serving the Party's missions and tasks; taking strengthening the Party politically as the overarching principle; exercising rigorous governance across the board; adopting a problem-oriented approach; upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground; adhering to a top-down approach; and running the Party according to regulations.

Sustained efforts to exercise full and rigorous Party self-governance aim to strengthen the Party's sense of mission and resolve, consolidate its solidarity and unity, preserve the integrity of its membership, and improve its governance capacity and leadership. These efforts help ensure steady progress in Chinese modernization.

An important task in this endeavor in the new era is to confine power in "a cage of institutions." Strengthening Party leadership is central to full and rigorous Party self-governance; comprehensive coverage provides the foundation, rigor is the key, and effective governance is essential.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the Party has continued to uphold and strengthen its overall leadership and the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. With strengthening itself politically as its overarching guide, it has improved its systems for full and rigorous self-governance and advanced all areas of Party building in a coordinated manner.

Systems thinking and scientific methods are essential to ensuring that the Party's governance covers all relevant content and targets, duties are performed at all levels and links, and all systems complement one another. The aim is to further improve a comprehensive, fully functioning, well-regulated and efficient system for full and rigorous Party self-governance.

This requires a closely connected organizational system that ensures effective implementation and enables Party organizations at all levels to fulfill their political and organizational functions. It also requires an education system that reinforces convictions, builds cohesion and strengthens Party consciousness, helping members and officials translate the strategy of full and rigorous self-governance into conscious action.

A targeted oversight system must address both symptoms and root causes, making Party self-governance more precise and effective. Rigorous requirements must apply to every aspect of this work, every Party organization and every member.

A sound and effective institutional system must bring individual rules and mechanisms into a coherent whole. Institution-building must respond to the needs of Party self-governance and support all areas of Party building, reinforcing institutional constraints on power.

Governing the Party through institutions, and in accordance with regulations, also requires stronger enforcement. The reform of intra-Party regulations and systems must continue, with better overall planning, the identification and closure of loopholes, and improvements in quality and efficiency. These efforts will advance full and rigorous Party self-governance within a framework of rules and institutions.

Full and rigorous Party self-governance has opened new ground in the century-old Party's self-reform, contributing to historic achievements and transformations in the cause of the Party and the country. It has enabled the Party and the people to seize the historical initiative in building a strong Party and country.

The Party must take responsibility for its own governance, and effective governance requires rigor. The CPC Central Committee has attached great importance to developing rules and institutions, improving anti-corruption mechanisms and strengthening enforcement. Coordinated efforts must ensure that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity or desire to become corrupt. Rules must function as live "high-voltage lines," enabling full and rigorous Party self-governance to advance with higher standards and more concrete measures.

An exhibition area dedicated to education on Party conduct and integrity building at an education center in Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province, China, July 10, 2025. /VCG

A responsibility system with clearly identified duties and requirements is essential. Responsibilities must be specified at different levels and for different categories, so that Party organizations, members and officials understand, assume and fulfill their duties.

Party committees (leading Party members groups) bear the principal responsibility for full and rigorous Party self-governance. This includes strengthening leadership over the work, selecting and appointing officials properly, supervising and constraining the exercise of power, and safeguarding the people's interests. Discipline inspection commissions at all levels bear supervisory responsibility, requiring effective oversight, strict discipline enforcement and precise accountability.

These political responsibilities must form a complete chain encompassing principal responsibility, supervisory responsibility, the primary responsibility of those heading Party organizations, and leading officials' dual responsibilities for their regular work and Party self-governance.

Officials must be strict with themselves, fulfill their responsibilities and exercise rigorous management over those under their supervision. Responsibility must be reinforced at every level. Clearly identifying who is responsible, specifying what is required, and ensuring effective evaluation and accountability can help foster an atmosphere of rigor and a culture of integrity, turning responsibilities into action.

The "rigor" in full and rigorous Party self-governance serves to clarify direction, establish rules, improve conduct and strengthen resistance to corruption. It aims to foster a clean and upright political environment within the Party and create favorable conditions for officials to fulfill their duties and take the initiative, further encouraging the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of the entire Party.

The central Party leadership's eight-point decision on improving conduct was a concrete initiative to build public trust and a landmark measure for Party self-governance in the new era. By establishing firm rules and binding constraints and improving institutional mechanisms, the CPC Central Committee has worked to consolidate and extend its implementation and make improvements in Party conduct regular and lasting.

The requirements of the Party's self-reform must be fully implemented. Strengthening Party consciousness, improving conduct and enforcing discipline must proceed together, while efforts to rectify misconduct, tighten discipline and combat corruption must reinforce one another. Rigorous standards, measures and enforcement must be sustained over the long term.

All Party members, especially leading officials, must remember that self-reform is an ongoing endeavor. They must cultivate their character, exercise self-discipline, guard against privilege-seeking attitudes and practices, and firmly resist misconduct and corruption. By preserving their integrity, they can help improvements in the Party and government conduct to foster better conduct throughout society.

The fight against corruption must continue with unwavering resolve and sustained pressure. Efforts to rectify misconduct, enforce discipline and combat corruption must deepen without pause or retreat. Continued work is needed to eliminate the conditions that allow corruption to arise and foster a clean and upright political environment.

Sustained full and rigorous Party self-governance enables the Party to use its self-reform to guide broader social transformation. Rigorous requirements must be applied throughout Party building, enabling the Party to continually purify, improve and renew itself and strengthen its capabilities. This helps ensure that it remains a vibrant Marxist governing party that stays at the forefront of the times, enjoys the wholehearted support of the people, withstands all tests, and serves as the strong leadership core for building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

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