China's ruling Communist Party has adopted a resolution to toughen internal discipline and intensify its anti-corruption campaign. The resolution, previewed during a key party leadership gathering, stresses the need for loyalty to the party within its ranks. The party aims to vet and promote officials based on their "party spirit," assessed through their work, conduct, and personal values. This move is part of the party's effort to cleanse itself of "impurities and viruses." The resolution was released by the state-run Xinhua news agency on Sunday.
The Communist Party's resolution provides an updated framework for its over decade-long discipline and anti-graft drive. This drive has ensnared millions within China's vast bureaucracy. The party's leadership gathering took place roughly a year ahead of a leadership reshuffle, when President Xi Jinping is expected to secure another five-year term. The resolution's adoption demonstrates the party's commitment to maintaining its integrity and ensuring loyalty among its members. According to the party, its ranks are sound overall, but problems of ideological and organisational impurity persist.
The resolution calls for closer, career-long oversight of cadres, including tighter checks on officials' personal disclosures. The party will investigate officials where family assets or spending appear out of line with legitimate income. Routine scrutiny of the business activities of officials' family members is also planned. These measures aim to prevent corruption and ensure that officials remain loyal to the party. The anti-corruption drive will also target hidden and tech-enabled graft, including proxy shareholdings and the use of cryptocurrencies.
The Communist Party's anti-corruption efforts will focus on "self-revolution" and intensifying loyalty to the party. The party's leadership called on members to resolutely safeguard Xi's status as the party's "core" and remain fully aligned with the top leadership. This includes aligning with Xi in thought, politics, and action. The party aims to ensure that it never loses its nature, conviction, and character. To achieve this, the party must continually remove the "viruses" that corrode its healthy body.
President Xi Jinping emphasised the importance of the party's self-governance in a speech explaining the resolution. He stated that only by advancing full and rigorous party self-governance can the party ensure its continued integrity. Xi's speech highlighted the need for the party to maintain its revolutionary spirit and pass on the "red country" to future generations. The resolution's adoption demonstrates the party's commitment to self-improvement and reform.
The Communist Party's resolution has significant implications for China's bureaucracy and governance. The party's efforts to intensify internal discipline and anti-corruption efforts aim to promote a culture of integrity and accountability. The measures outlined in the resolution will likely have far-reaching consequences for officials and party members. The party's commitment to "self-revolution" and loyalty will continue to shape its policies and actions in the coming years.
The adoption of the resolution marks a significant step in the Communist Party's ongoing efforts to reform and improve its governance. The party's focus on internal discipline and anti-corruption efforts demonstrates its commitment to maintaining its integrity and legitimacy. As China prepares for a leadership reshuffle, the resolution's implications will be closely watched by observers and analysts. The party's efforts to promote loyalty and accountability will likely continue to shape its policies and actions in the future.
Key points
- China's Communist Party adopts resolution to strengthen internal discipline and intensify anti-corruption efforts.
