Doctrine Political Work

Deeply Study and Implement Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building | Uphold the Centralized and Unified Leadership of the Party Central Committee

深入学习贯彻习近平党建思想丨坚持党中央集中统一领导

PLA Daily (解放军报) 10 July 2026

Summary

The Air Force Center for Research on the Party's Innovative Theories published a doctrinal article elaborating the 'Fourteen Upholds' framework, specifically the requirement to uphold centralized and unified Party Central Committee leadership, framing it as the foundational political principle governing PLA loyalty, organizational discipline, and command authority under Xi. The article documents the current institutional emphasis on the CMC Chairman Responsibility System as the operational mechanism for translating political loyalty into command compliance, extending a pattern in which Air Force political organs produce doctrinal content that reinforces Xi's personal command authority over the military rather than collective CMC authority. Its value is as a baseline record of how the PLA's political education apparatus frames the 'Two Establishes' and 'Two Upholds' formulas for officers, not as evidence of a new policy line.

Translation

Uphold the Centralized and Unified Leadership of the Party Central Committee

■ Air Force Center for Research on the Party's Innovative Theories

Editor's Note

Only when the whole Party has a core, and the Party Central Committee has authority, do the Party and the state have strength. "Upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee" is one of the substantive elements of the "Fourteen Upholds" within Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building. It bears on the future and destiny of the Party and the state, and is the key to our Party and our military maintaining unity and powerful combat effectiveness. On the new journey, we must profoundly grasp the extreme importance of "upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee" as the highest political principle, consciously unify our thinking and actions with the spirit of the Party Central Committee, and work together with one heart to advance the steady and far-reaching progress of the Party's, the state's, and the military's undertakings.

Affairs lie in all directions; authority lies at the center. To deeply study and implement Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building, we must always uphold the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, and always maintain a high degree of alignment—ideologically, politically, and in action—with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. Only by unwaveringly upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee can we consolidate the mighty will of the entire Party and the immense strength of the entire people, overcome every difficulty and obstacle on the road ahead, and ensure that the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics continuously wins new victories.

Upholding Party leadership is the most essential characteristic of socialism with Chinese characteristics, fundamentally establishing the Party's position as the highest political leadership force; upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee clarifies this highest political principle at the level of the leadership system. Accurately understanding and grasping the theoretical origins, historical basis, and practical requirements of upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is of great significance for deeply studying and implementing Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building and advancing the new great project of Party building in the new era.

A major principle of Party building for Marxist parties. In a country and a party, the leadership core is of paramount importance. Marx once offered the vivid analogy that "an orchestra needs a conductor." From the practice of the international communist movement, whether a strong leadership core and centralized unified authority can be established and maintained directly bears on the survival or demise of political power. The Paris Commune existed for 72 days before declaring failure; one important reason was precisely the lack of a unified leadership core and centralized command. After the October Revolution, facing external intervention and internal rebellion, it was precisely by relying on a powerful unified will that Lenin rescued a revolutionary situation that was in mortal peril. From the day of its founding, the Communist Party of China has upheld the authority of the Party Central Committee and centralized unified leadership as an explicit political criterion and a fundamental political requirement, adhering to this consistently and without wavering.

An important lesson from the great practice of revolution, construction, reform, and the new era. From the Zunyi Conference, which in fact established Comrade Mao Zedong's position as the leadership core of the Party Central Committee and the Red Army and turned the Chinese revolution from danger to safety, to the Yan'an Rectification Movement, which achieved unprecedented ideological, political, and organizational unity across the whole Party and laid the cornerstone of victory; from the Seventh Plenary Session of the Fourth Central Committee after the founding of New China explicitly pointing out that "the sole center of Party unity is the Party's Central Committee," to Comrade Deng Xiaoping's emphasis after reform and opening up that "the center must have authority," and then to the historic achievements and historic transformations in the cause of the Party and the state in the new era—the Party's more than one hundred years of struggle eloquently prove that resolutely safeguarding the Party's core and the authority of the Party Central Committee is the fundamental guarantee for the Party's cause to advance continuously from victory to victory.

The fundamental guarantee for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the greatest dream of the Chinese people since modern times. Today, we are closer than at any other period in history to the goal of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and we have greater confidence and capability to achieve it. But on the road ahead, we will still encounter many foreseeable and unforeseeable risks and challenges. Whether breaking through the prominent contradictions and problems in the process of national rejuvenation, or sweeping away the various obstacles in the process of rejuvenation, all of this requires bringing into play the key role of the Party Central Committee's centralized and unified leadership, ensuring that the whole Party maintains unified will, unified action, and advances in step.

The key to accelerating the building of the people's military into a world-class military. Consolidating national defense and a powerful military is the reliable support for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Strengthening the military and revitalizing it—the key lies with the Party. Looking back on the glorious course of history, the fundamental reason our military has been able to continuously develop and grow, advancing from victory to victory, is that it has always upheld the Party's absolute leadership over the military. Only by always upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, ensuring that the people's military is always placed under the Party's absolute leadership, can this military of ours forever guard its roots and soul, take strides of rapid development, transform political advantages into advantages for winning, and seize the initiative in advancing toward world-class status.

Safeguarding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is a matter of direction and principle, bearing on the future and destiny of the Party and the state. For a great party and great country such as ours, ensuring the Party's unity and centralized unity is of paramount importance, and safeguarding the authority of the Party Central Committee is of paramount importance.

To uphold the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, we must strengthen political leadership. The Communist Party of China is the highest political leadership force steering the great vessel "China" forward; political leadership capacity is the foremost capacity within the Party's governing capability. For the people's military, strengthening political leadership means perseveringly using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to forge unity of mind and cast the soul, deeply implementing Xi Jinping's Thought on Strengthening the Military, and solidly building the ideological and political foundation for officers and soldiers to unwaveringly listen to the Party and follow the Party. Party organizations at all levels in the military must bear the political responsibility of comprehensively and thoroughly implementing the system of Chairman of the Central Military Commission responsibility, consciously deepening study and education, improving political capability, strengthening implementation of work, and reinforcing supervision and accountability, implementing the system of Chairman of the Central Military Commission responsibility to a higher standard and with stricter requirements, ensuring that the entire military unites under the Party's banner into "a single solid piece of steel."

To uphold the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, we must achieve absolute loyalty, absolute purity, and absolute reliability. Since the Party's Eighteenth National Congress, the Party and the state's undertakings have achieved new major accomplishments; the fundamental reason lies in the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core steering the course, and in the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Practice has proven that the "Two Establishes" (两个确立) represent the greatest certainty, the greatest confidence, and the greatest guarantee for us in responding to all uncertainties. The people's military in the new era upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is manifested primarily in profoundly understanding the decisive significance of the "Two Establishes" (两个确立), strengthening the "Four Consciousnesses" (四个意识), firming up the "Four Confidences" (四个自信), achieving the "Two Upholds" (两个维护), implementing the system of Chairman of the Central Military Commission responsibility, achieving absolute loyalty, absolute purity, and absolute reliability, and resolutely obeying Chairman Xi's command, being responsible to Chairman Xi, and putting Chairman Xi's mind at ease.

To uphold the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, we must resolutely and forcefully implement the Party Central Committee's major decisions and deployments. Implementing the Party Central Committee's major decisions and deployments is the fundamental requirement for safeguarding the authority of the Party Central Committee and centralized unified leadership, and is also an important historical lesson for the continuous development and progress of the Party's and the people's undertakings. Only by translating the Party Central Committee's decisions and deployments without exception into actual actions across all domains and at all levels can we continuously consolidate the Party's unity, and guarantee that all of the Party's and the state's undertakings advance steadily in the established direction. Our military is the people's military under the Party's absolute leadership; in implementing the Party Central Committee's major decisions and deployments, it should by right be at the forefront and held to a higher standard. We must know our responsibilities, understand our responsibilities, bear our responsibilities, and fulfill our responsibilities, ensuring that the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and Chairman Xi are implemented resolutely, comprehensively, concretely, and unconditionally.

III

On the new journey in the new era, upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee means strengthening theoretical arming, tightening the organizational system, reinforcing disciplinary constraints, and improving institutional construction, ensuring that the entire Party and the entire military unify their thinking and actions with the spirit of the Party Central Committee, and resolutely carry through the Party's theories, line, principles, and policies, and the Party Central Committee's decisions and deployments.

Strengthen theoretical arming. Political steadfastness derives from theoretical clarity. Strengthening theoretical arming means perseveringly using the Party's innovative theories to arm the mind, guide practice, and drive work; deepening understanding of a series of major questions of the times regarding what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics to uphold and develop in the new era and how to uphold and develop it, what kind of socialist modernized strong country to build and how to build it, and what kind of long-term-governing Marxist party to build and how to build it; consciously maintaining a high degree of alignment—ideologically, politically, and in action—with the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and Chairman Xi; and further strengthening political consciousness, overall-situation consciousness, core consciousness, and alignment consciousness.

Tighten the organizational system. A tight organizational system is where the Party's advantages and strength lie. Only when Party organizations at all levels are sound and strong, forming an organizational system that is vertically connected and capable of forceful execution, can the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee be implemented and take effect. For the people's military, we must uphold the principle that the organizational line serves the political line, focus on the primary responsibility and main business of preparing for war and fighting, and work hard to strengthen the building of the Party's organizational system. We must precisely optimize organizational structures, strictly standardize organizational operations, comprehensively forge strong combat fortresses, systematically weave a tight and strong organizational network, and continuously improve the leadership capacity, organizational capacity, and execution capacity of Party organizations at all levels, ensuring that the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission are implemented consistently from the top level to the last echelon and carried out with high efficiency. We must deeply implement the new-era strategy of strengthening the military through talent, uphold the Party's management of cadres, the Party's management of talent, and organizational selection of personnel, ensure that the barrel of the gun is always in the hands of those who are loyal and reliable to the Party, and transform the tight organizational system into a powerful advantage for winning.

Reinforce disciplinary constraints. Political discipline is the most important, most fundamental, and most critical discipline. In strictly enforcing Party discipline, the foremost task is to strictly enforce political discipline. History and practice have proven: a party, a military, can only ensure that objectives, unity, and pace are consistent from top to bottom if it strictly enforces political discipline and political rules, and insists on establishing discipline first and upholding discipline at the forefront. We must run the firm safeguarding of the authority of the Party Central Committee and centralized unified leadership throughout the entire process of intra-Party and intra-military political inspections and political oversight, resolutely investigate and deal with all conduct that violates political discipline and political rules, effectively ensure that Party orders and military orders flow without obstruction, and achieve the following: what the Party Central Committee advocates, we resolutely respond to; what the Party Central Committee decides, we resolutely carry out; what the Party Central Committee prohibits, we resolutely do not do.

Improve institutional construction. The series of institutional mechanisms for safeguarding the authority of the Party Central Committee and centralized unified leadership that the Party has formed through long-term practice are important institutional arrangements for upholding and strengthening the Party's overall leadership; they must be upheld over the long term and continuously improved. We must improve the leadership system of the Party Central Committee over major work, improve the mechanisms for driving implementation of the Party Central Committee's major decisions, strictly implement the system of reporting to and requesting instructions from the Party Central Committee, and improve the organizational systems for maintaining the Party's centralized unity. The people's military must keep pace with the times in improving and perfecting the series of fundamental principles and systems for the Party's absolute leadership over the military, endow them with new contemporary connotations and forms of realization, raise the level of systematization and scientization of the institutional system, firmly safeguard the seriousness and authority of the system, and carry the Party's absolute leadership over the military through to all domains and the entire process of military building.

(Authors: Cai Xueqin, Li Guangming, Cao Wenhui)

Original Chinese

坚持党中央集中统一领导 ■空军党的创新理论研究中心编者按全党有核心，党中央有权威，党和国家才有力量。“坚持党中央集中统一领导”是习近平党建思想“十四个坚持”的内涵要义之一，事关党和国家前途命运，是我党我军保持团结统一和强大战斗力的关键所在。新征程上，我们必须深刻领会“坚持党中央集中统一领导”这一最高政治原则的极端重要性，自觉把思想和行动统一到党中央精神上来，齐心协力推动党、国家和军队事业行稳致远。事在四方，要在中央。深入学习贯彻习近平党建思想，必须始终坚持党中央集中统一领导，始终在思想上政治上行动上同以习近平同志为核心的党中央保持高度一致。只有毫不动摇坚持党中央集中统一领导，才能凝聚起全党的强大意志和全体人民的磅礴力量，战胜前进道路上的一切艰难险阻，确保中国特色社会主义事业不断夺取新胜利。一坚持党的领导是中国特色社会主义最本质的特征，从根本上确立党最高政治领导力量的定位；坚持党中央集中统一领导，从领导体制层面明确了这个最高政治原则。准确理解和把握坚持党中央集中统一领导的理论由来、历史依据和实践要求，对深入学习贯彻习近平党建思想，推进新时代党的建设新的伟大工程意义重大。马克思主义政党的重大建党原则。一个国家、一个政党，领导核心至关重要。马克思曾形象比喻，“一个乐队就需要一个乐队指挥”。从国际共产主义运动实践来看，能否确立和维护坚强领导核心与集中统一权威，直接关乎政权存亡。巴黎公社存在72天便宣告失败，一个重要原因就在于缺乏统一领导核心和集中指挥。十月革命后，面对外部干涉和内部叛乱，列宁正是依靠强有力的统一意志，才挽救了危在旦夕的革命形势。中国共产党自成立之日起，就将维护党中央权威和集中统一领导作为明确的政治准则和根本的政治要求，一以贯之、毫不动摇地加以坚持。革命、建设、改革和新时代伟大实践的重要经验。从遵义会议事实上确立毛泽东同志在党中央和红军的领导核心地位、使中国革命转危为安，到延安整风运动实现全党思想上政治上组织上空前团结统一、奠定胜利基石；从新中国成立后党的七届四中全会明确指出“党的团结的唯一中心是党的中央”，到改革开放后邓小平同志强调“中央要有权威”，再到新时代党和国家事业取得历史性成就、发生历史性变革，党的百余年奋斗历程雄辩证明，坚决维护党的核心和党中央权威，是党的事业不断从胜利走向胜利的根本保证。实现中华民族伟大复兴的根本保证。实现中华民族伟大复兴，是近代以来中国人民最伟大的梦想。今天，我们比历史上任何时期都更接近、更有信心和能力实现中华民族伟大复兴的目标。但前进道路上，还会遇到很多可以预料和难以预料的风险挑战。无论是破解民族复兴进程中的突出矛盾问题，还是扫除复兴进程中的各种阻力，都需要发挥党中央集中统一领导的关键作用，确保全党统一意志、统一行动、步调一致向前进。加快把人民军队建成世界一流军队的关键所在。巩固国防和强大军队是实现中华民族伟大复兴的可靠支撑。强军兴军，关键在党。回望光荣历程，我军之所以能够不断发展壮大，从胜利走向胜利，最根本的就是始终坚持党对军队的绝对领导。只有始终坚持党中央集中统一领导，确保人民军队始终置于党的绝对领导之下，我们这支军队才能永远守住根和魂，才能迈开快速发展的步伐，把政治优势转化为制胜优势，赢得迈向世界一流的主动。二维护党中央集中统一领导，是方向性、原则性问题，关系到党和国家前途命运。对于我们这样的大党、大国来说，保证党的团结和集中统一至关重要，维护党中央权威至关重要。坚持党中央集中统一领导，必须加强政治领导。中国共产党是领航“中国号”巨轮前进的最高政治领导力量，政治领导力在党的执政能力中是第一位的能力。对人民军队而言，加强政治领导，就是要坚持不懈用习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想凝心铸魂，深入贯彻习近平强军思想，打牢广大官兵坚定不移听党话、跟党走的思想政治根基。军队各级党组织要担负起全面深入贯彻军委主席负责制的政治责任，自觉深化学习教育、提高政治能力、强化工作落实、加强监督问责，以更高标准、更严要求贯彻军委主席负责制，确保全军在党的旗帜下团结成“一块坚硬的钢铁”。坚持党中央集中统一领导，必须做到绝对忠诚、绝对纯洁、绝对可靠。党的十八大以来，党和国家事业取得新的重大成就，根本在于以习近平同志为核心的党中央领航掌舵，在于习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想科学指引。实践证明，“两个确立”是我们应对一切不确定性的最大确定性、最大底气、最大保证。新时代人民军队坚持党中央集中统一领导，主要体现在深刻领悟“两个确立”的决定性意义，增强“四个意识”、坚定“四个自信”、做到“两个维护”，贯彻军委主席负责制，做到绝对忠诚、绝对纯洁、绝对可靠，坚决听习主席指挥、对习主席负责、让习主席放心。坚持党中央集中统一领导，必须坚决有力贯彻落实党中央重大决策部署。贯彻落实党中央重大决策部署，是维护党中央权威和集中统一领导的根本要求，也是党和人民事业不断发展进步的重要历史经验。唯有不折不扣把党中央决策部署转化为各领域各层级的实际行动，才能持续巩固党的团结统一，保障党和国家各项事业沿着既定方向稳步前进。我军是党绝对领导下的人民军队，在贯彻落实党中央重大决策部署方面理应走在前列、标准更高。要知责明责、担责尽责，确保党中央、中央军委和习主席决策部署能够坚决地、全面地、具体地、无条件地得到贯彻落实。三新时代新征程，坚持党中央集中统一领导，就是要加强理论武装、严密组织体系、强化纪律约束、完善制度建设，确保全党全军把思想和行动统一到党中央精神上来，把党的理论和路线方针政策、党中央的决策部署坚决贯彻下去。加强理论武装。政治上的坚定源自理论上的清醒。加强理论武装，就是要坚持不懈用党的创新理论武装头脑、指导实践、推动工作，深化对新时代坚持和发展什么样的中国特色社会主义、怎样坚持和发展中国特色社会主义，建设什么样的社会主义现代化强国、怎样建设社会主义现代化强国，建设什么样的长期执政的马克思主义政党、怎样建设长期执政的马克思主义政党等一系列重大时代课题的认识，自觉在思想上政治上行动上同党中央、中央军委和习主席保持高度一致，进一步增强政治意识、大局意识、核心意识、看齐意识。严密组织体系。严密的组织体系是党的优势所在、力量所在。只有党的各级组织健全过硬，形成上下贯通、执行有力的组织体系，才能确保党中央集中统一领导落地落实。对人民军队而言，必须坚持组织路线服务政治路线，聚焦备战打仗主责主业，着力加强党的组织体系建设。要精准优化组织设置、严格规范组织运行、全面锻造坚强战斗堡垒，系统织密建强组织网络，持续提升各级党组织的领导力、组织力、执行力，确保党中央和中央军委决策部署从顶层到末端一贯到底、高效落实；必须深入贯彻新时代人才强军战略，坚持党管干部、党管人才、组织选人，确保枪杆子始终掌握在对党忠诚可靠的人手中，将严密组织体系转化为强大制胜优势。强化纪律约束。政治纪律是最重要、最根本、最关键的纪律。严明党的纪律，首要的就是严明政治纪律。历史和实践证明：一个政党，一支军队，只有严明政治纪律和政治规矩，坚持立纪在先、挺纪在前，才能确保上下目标一致、团结一致、步调一致。要把坚定维护党中央权威和集中统一领导贯穿党内军内政治巡视和政治监督全过程，坚决查处一切违反政治纪律和政治规矩的行为，切实保证政令军令畅通，做到党中央提倡的坚决响应、党中央决定的坚决照办、党中央禁止的坚决不做。完善制度建设。党在长期实践中形成的维护党中央权威和集中统一领导的一系列制度机制，是坚持和加强党的全面领导的重要制度安排，必须长期坚持、不断完善。要健全党中央对重大工作的领导体制、完善推动党中央重大决策落实机制、严格执行向党中央请示报告制度、健全维护党的集中统一的组织制度等。人民军队要与时俱进健全完善党对军队绝对领导的一系列根本原则和制度，赋予其新的时代内涵和实现形式，提高制度体系化科学化水平，坚定维护制度的严肃性和权威性，把党对军队绝对领导贯彻到军队建设各领域全过程。（执笔：蔡雪芹、李光明、曹文惠）