Deeply Study and Implement Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building | Persist in Governing the Entire Party with Strict Discipline

Persist in Governing the Entire Party with Strict Discipline

■ People's Armed Police Force Party Innovative Theory Research Center

Editor's Note: A ruling party with more than one hundred million members — what does it rely on to manage its own ranks? What does it rely on to overcome risks and challenges? Chairman Xi has profoundly pointed out: "The Party must govern itself and exercise strict self-governance — what does it rely on to govern, and on what basis does it rule? It must rely on strict discipline." Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building identifies "persisting in governing the entire Party with strict discipline (坚持用严明的纪律管全党治全党)" as one of the substantive meanings of the "Fourteen Persists," profoundly revealing the key to governing the Party in the new era and demonstrating the extreme importance of the Party's discipline-building. It must be understood completely and accurately, and resolutely implemented.

Party discipline is the code of conduct that Party organizations at all levels and all Party members must observe, and is the guarantee for maintaining the Party's unity and cohesion and fulfilling the Party's tasks. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has placed discipline-building in an increasingly prominent position, governing the Party with strict discipline, fundamentally reversing the lax and weak state of Party governance, and driving the Party to become stronger and more powerful through revolutionary tempering. On the new journey, we must further strengthen political discipline and political rules (政治纪律和政治规矩), drive all forms of discipline to be comprehensively strict, bring into play the role of discipline-building in addressing both symptoms and root causes (标本兼治), and provide a strong disciplinary guarantee for comprehensively advancing the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization (中国式现代化).

I

Governing the country requires first governing the Party; only when the Party flourishes can the country be strong. Today, our Party has developed into the world's largest ruling party with major global influence. Only by persisting in governing the entire Party with strict discipline can we permanently preserve our advanced nature and purity, effectively respond to complex situations and severe challenges, and ensure the ship of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics sails steadily and far.

The essential requirement for building a Marxist political party. Strict discipline is an intrinsic attribute and fundamental requirement of a Marxist political party. When Marx and Engels founded the proletarian party, they pointed out: "We must now absolutely maintain Party discipline, otherwise nothing will be accomplished." Lenin also emphasized: "Unconditional centralization and the strictest discipline of the proletariat is one of the basic conditions for victory over the bourgeoisie." For a Marxist political party, strict discipline is an important characteristic and distinguishing mark that sets it apart from other types of parties — this is determined by the Marxist political party's people-centered stance and its historical mission of achieving communism. "If discipline and order are abandoned, what disorder will not arise? (纪纲一废，何事不生？)" Without strict discipline, a political party will degenerate into a loose sheet of sand, and revolutionary struggle becomes even more out of the question.

A profound summation of our Party's historical experience in Party governance. The Communist Party of China is a Marxist political party organized on the basis of revolutionary ideals and iron discipline; strict discipline is the Party's fine tradition and political advantage. Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out: "Strengthen discipline, and revolution will be invincible." Comrade Deng Xiaoping emphasized: "How can such a large country as ours unite and organize itself? First, by relying on ideals; second, by relying on discipline." During the revolutionary war years, our Party united and led the people to defeat a vicious enemy and achieve victory in the Chinese revolution — this was guaranteed by iron discipline. During the period of socialist revolution and construction, strengthening discipline-building became a strategic measure for our Party to consolidate the new state power and withstand the tests of governance. During the new period of reform and opening up and socialist modernization, our Party consistently emphasized Party discipline-building in order to effectively respond to the risks and tests brought by reform and opening up. History and practice have fully proven that strict discipline is an important guarantee for our Party to permanently preserve its founding mission and continuously advance from victory to victory.

The fundamental remedy (治本之策) for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party in the new era. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, in response to the problems of lax and weak Party governance that had emerged at one point, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, with the clarity and resolve to solve the unique difficulties of a large party, incorporated Party discipline-building into the overall layout of Party building and placed it in a prominent position within the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, with emphasis on strengthening political discipline and organizational discipline, driving all forms of discipline to be comprehensively strict and strict to the end. From formulating and implementing the Central Committee's Eight-Point Regulation to break new ground, to revising the Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Punishments, to carrying out Party discipline study and education (党纪学习教育) throughout the Party — the screws of disciplinary constraint have been continuously tightened, and the institutional cage of Party governance has been drawn ever tighter. Only by running strict discipline through every aspect and the entire process of comprehensive and strict Party governance can we ensure the Party never changes its nature, color, or character, and always remains the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

II

Grasp the guiding principle and the details will follow; hold to the root and the branches will comply. Persisting in governing the entire Party with strict discipline is a precise summation made by Chairman Xi through a scientific grasp of the characteristics and laws of Party building in the new era. We must deeply comprehend its substantive meaning, essential spirit, and practical requirements.

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. As early as the Resolution on Organizational Questions passed at the Party's Fifth National Congress, our Party explicitly put forward the concept of political discipline, emphasizing that "intra-Party discipline is extremely important, but political discipline should be given priority." Thereafter, our Party continuously enriched the connotations and requirements of political discipline in accordance with the situations and tasks faced in different periods. The great practice of comprehensive and strict Party governance in the new era has profoundly enlightened us: by grasping political discipline as the key link, we can drive organizational discipline, clean governance discipline (廉洁纪律), mass discipline (群众纪律), work discipline, and lifestyle discipline to be comprehensively strict, ensuring the entire Party unites into "a solid piece of steel" and always stands in an unassailable political position.

Discipline is stricter than law; discipline comes before law (纪严于法、纪在法前). Discipline is the yardstick for governing the Party, and also the standard and guide by which Party members and cadres constrain their own conduct. The nature and purpose of the Party both determine that discipline is stricter than law and comes before law. Countless cases have shown that when Party members "break the law (破法)," it invariably begins with "breaking discipline (破纪)." From the Regulations on Disciplinary Punishments and the Accountability Regulations, to the Several Guidelines on Intra-Party Political Life under the New Situation and the Intra-Party Supervision Regulations, to the first-ever Regulations on the Work of the Discipline Inspection Commissions of the Communist Party of China — since the new era, a series of foundational and key intra-Party regulations have been formulated and revised, truly establishing, tightening, and strictly enforcing discipline. Only by keeping discipline at the forefront, persisting in discipline being stricter than law and coming before law, can we eliminate the erroneous thinking that "violating discipline is a minor matter, only violating the law warrants action," and use discipline to govern all Party members and cadres.

Persist in addressing Party character, Party conduct, and Party discipline together. Party character (党性), Party conduct (党风), and Party discipline (党纪) form an organic whole. Party character is the foundation, Party conduct is the manifestation, and Party discipline is the guarantee. From the perspective of Party character: advanced nature is the essential attribute of a Marxist political party, but the Party's advanced nature is not achieved once and for all or immutable — rectifying Party conduct and strictly enforcing Party discipline ultimately serves to strengthen Party character. From the perspective of Party conduct: conduct problems are essentially problems of Party character; whether Party character is strong and whether Party discipline is strict are both reflected in whether conduct is solid. From the perspective of Party discipline: Party discipline is the lifeline of the Party — without strict discipline, there is no good conduct, and the Party will lose its cohesion and become a loose sheet of sand. Persisting in addressing Party character, Party conduct, and Party discipline together is a "combination punch (组合拳)" that uses a strict keynote to strengthen the rectification of conduct and enforcement of discipline, reflecting the comprehensiveness, wholeness, and coordination of Party governance.

Party discipline and the drive to get things done are intrinsically unified. Party discipline has both an educational and constraining function and a guaranteeing and incentivizing role; it is both a "tightening spell (紧箍咒)" and, even more so, a "protective talisman (护身符)" — the two are dialectically unified and mutually reinforcing. The purpose of comprehensive and strict Party governance is not to manage people to death, making them hesitant and timid, turning things into a stagnant pool of gloom and inaction, but rather to create a positive, healthy political ecology and good environment for getting things done and pursuing undertakings by clarifying direction, establishing rules, rectifying conduct, and strengthening immunity. On one hand, Party members and cadres must know what can be done and what cannot, always maintaining reverence, vigilance, and adherence to the bottom line; on the other hand, efforts must be made to eliminate the various negative factors that affect Party members' and cadres' willingness to take responsibility, driving the formation of a strong atmosphere of willingness to take responsibility, daring to take responsibility, and being good at taking responsibility (愿担当、敢担当、善担当). Only by persisting in combining strict management with genuine care, and balancing incentives with constraints, and unifying strict management and supervision with encouragement to take responsibility and act, can Party members and cadres be freed to get things done and pursue undertakings.

III

Chairman Xi has profoundly pointed out: "The military is the most disciplined; strict discipline is an important source of combat effectiveness." On the new journey of the new era, the People's Army must use iron discipline to forge iron will, temper iron conduct, and build iron forces, and at all times and under all circumstances act in complete obedience to command and advance in step and in unison.

Strengthen discipline education and cultivate discipline consciousness. Persisting in voluntary and strict discipline is a glorious tradition and distinctive characteristic of our military's political work. We must educate and guide Party members and cadres to earnestly study the Party Constitution, Party regulations, and Party discipline, persisting in studying them word for word, systematically and in depth, and in connection with reality, genuinely clarifying what the Party's and military's discipline and rules are, understanding what can be done and what cannot, and continuously strengthening the inner consciousness to study discipline, know discipline, understand discipline, and observe discipline (学纪、知纪、明纪、守纪). Persist in a multi-pronged, comprehensive approach: integrate discipline education into Party character education, run it through thematic education, and combine it with ad hoc education; make good use of positive models to strengthen exemplary guidance, while also bringing into play the warning and deterrent effect of negative cases, truly achieving a state of mind that has reverence, speech that has restraint, and conduct that has limits.

Strengthen discipline enforcement and form rigid constraints. Our military has always regarded forging iron discipline as a basic principle of army-building and governance; Party members and cadres are held to higher standards and stricter requirements in executing discipline, establishing a clear orientation for our military's discipline-building. We must strictly observe political discipline and political rules, unwaveringly uphold the Party's absolute leadership over the military, firmly support the "Two Establishments (两个确立)" and resolutely achieve the "Two Safeguards (两个维护)," implement the Chairman of the Central Military Commission Responsibility System (军委主席负责制), and resolutely obey the command of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and Chairman Xi. We must dare to manage and strictly manage, persisting in equality before discipline, no special treatment in observing discipline, and no exceptions in executing discipline, resolutely correcting conduct that defies orders and ignores prohibitions, and effectively maintaining the rigidity and seriousness of discipline.

Solidify the chain of responsibility and ensure implementation and results. Without clarifying responsibility, implementing responsibility, and holding people accountable, strengthening discipline-building can only be "flowers in a mirror" and "the moon reflected in water." We must persist in a full chain of responsibility: solidify the primary responsibility of Party committees at all levels for comprehensive and strict Party governance and the supervisory responsibility of discipline inspection commissions at all levels; drive Party committee secretaries at all levels to shoulder the responsibility of the first person responsible, and other members of leading bodies to genuinely fulfill "dual responsibility for one post (一岗双责)"; ensure every Party member and cadre exercises their due rights and fulfills their due responsibilities, ensuring pressure is transmitted level by level and responsibility is linked ring by ring. Leading cadres at all levels must set the standard for their units in strictly observing discipline, and serve as models for officers and soldiers in fulfilling their duties — being strict with themselves, strict in their responsibilities, and strict in managing those under their command — using their own uprightness, cleanliness, and strength to drive "the overwhelming majority," forming a vivid situation in which each level grips the next and implementation is driven at every level.

(Authors: Liu Yong, Xie Xibo, Wang Yan)