An Army Unit Strictly Regulates the "Social Circles" of Leading Cadres
An Army Unit Strictly Regulates the "Social Circles" of Leading Cadres——
During Leave, He Turned Away 3 Favor-Seeking Phone Calls
■ Liang Xiuqiong, He Tao, PLA Daily Reporter Wang Yue
Military Party member cadres do not live in a vacuum. Necessary interpersonal contact is unavoidable, but such contact must be governed by principles and rules, with a "firewall" and "filter" always in place. In this installment, we follow a leading cadre who recently took leave and, through several phone calls he received during that period, examine how Party member leading cadres use regulations and discipline to restrain and pressure themselves at all times—managing their own life circles (生活圈), social circles (交往圈), and entertainment circles (娱乐圈)—and consistently conduct themselves with integrity and clean hands.
—— The Editors
"Be cautious when alone, be cautious in small matters, be cautious at the start, be cautious at the end (慎独慎微，慎始慎终)—these eight characters capture what I genuinely felt during my most recent leave." Recently, at a clean governance (廉政) education session at an Army unit, a leading cadre spoke from personal experience, recounting three favor-seeking phone calls he received during leave and the three "special tests" he faced.
Caller: Old Comrade Liu
"Old comrade, a few of us who have already transferred out of the military want to get together—come join us!" At the very start of his leave, this leading cadre received a call from Old Liu, a comrade he had worked alongside for many years. "It's been a long time since we've all seen each other. You're the only one still in the military now—come out, let's catch up."
He was on leave, and getting together with old comrades of many years seemed entirely reasonable on the surface. But this leading cadre quickly recalled a cautionary education session the unit had organized not long before: a cadre from a sister unit had been drawn into a circle at a similar comrades' reunion, under the guise of "catching up," gradually accepted requests for favors, and ultimately committed irregularities in materiel procurement, for which he was seriously disciplined.
The line from the discipline session—"Comradeship cannot become a gap in discipline"—remained fresh in his memory.
In the course of deepening political rectification (政治整训), the unit to which this leading cadre belongs routinely conducts clean governance training. The unit Party committee secretary and deputy secretary hold "one-on-one" reminder talks with committee members and personnel in key sensitive areas, conducting in-depth analysis of "encirclement and hunting" (围猎) cases that have occurred close to home, so that the red lines of discipline are truly tightened in people's minds.
"Friendship is friendship; discipline is discipline. Our comradeship doesn't need to be sustained by eating and drinking." His tone was calm but firm. "If it's convenient for you, let's go play a round of badminton tomorrow morning—work up a sweat, have a chat. How does that sound?"
The next day, the two men traded shots on the court, their sportswear soaked through with sweat. During a break, Old Liu probed: "Does your unit need to procure any training equipment recently? I have resources and channels on my end…"
Hearing this, the leading cadre waved him off: "Old Liu, if that's what you want to talk about, we stop here today. You know the military's regulations. We're comrades, but personal relationships count for nothing in the face of rules. Don't make me commit a mistake."
Old Liu was silent for a few seconds, then nodded repeatedly: "Understood—we talk only about comradeship, not about business!"
Caller: Older Cousin from Hometown
Early one morning, his older cousin called from their hometown. She got straight to the point: "Since you're on leave and not busy, I have something to ask of you…"
There was a note of urgency in her voice: "Your nephew graduated from university this year. A few days ago he applied for a military civilian personnel (军队文职) position at another unit in your garrison area. Can you put in a word with whoever is in charge of the recruitment, and give him a little 'extra consideration'?"
"That word I cannot put in, and I have no way to put it in. Military civilian personnel recruitment now—from question-setting to written exams, interviews, physical examinations, and political review—is embedded with discipline inspection oversight at every stage, and every step is open and transparent." On the other end of the line, his cousin was full of incomprehension: "You've been in the military all these years—you don't even have that much face to show?"
"This is not a question of face. It is a question of the disciplinary bottom line." The leading cadre's tone was grave. "This year, the discipline inspection committee secretary gave a discipline session to all personnel, specifically emphasizing that leading cadres must not use their authority to seek benefits for relatives. If your nephew truly wants to pass the exam, tell him to study diligently and let his ability speak for itself. That is what is truly responsible—to him, to the military, and to the family."
The line went silent. After a moment, his cousin sighed: "You're right. I was thinking too simply about this. I'll tell him to buckle down and review."
After hanging up, the leading cadre thought back to the clean governance talks the unit had organized at the start of the year, in which Party committee members had each pledged in turn to exercise decision-making authority strictly, genuinely manage their relatives, and resolutely prevent leading cadres from interfering in the normal operation of work.
This ever-present oversight may seem cumbersome, but it is in fact the most solid "firewall" protecting cadres.
Caller: Manager of a Certain Construction Company
Near the end of his leave, the phone rang again. The screen displayed an unfamiliar number.
"Leader, I heard you're on leave. Our company has just opened a new leisure fishing park in the suburbs—you're welcome to come by and relax whenever you have time…" "We know the rules—absolutely no talk of work. We just want to make a friend…" The voice on the phone was unfamiliar but full of eager attentiveness.
After thinking carefully, the leading cadre recalled that the caller was a project manager from a local construction company in the garrison area.
Not long before, that company had participated in the bidding for a small maintenance project at the unit. But the company had ultimately failed to make the shortlist because its quoted price was too high and its proposal too rough.
"During leave—no talk of work!" Seeing that the call was about to be ended, the other party immediately explained: "Leader, you're overthinking it—it's purely for leisure. We won't bring up the contract…"
The manager's attitude remained warm, but the leading cadre's words were equally firm: "To be frank: your company's failure to win the bid last time was not because you lacked acquaintances in the military. It was because your quoted price and proposal genuinely fell short compared to the winning unit."
A typical case reported by a higher authority flashed through the leading cadre's mind: a cadre at a certain unit had been lured in by a contractor under the guise of "leisure fishing," starting with accepting a few cartons of cigarettes and a few bottles of liquor, gradually escalating to accepting cash and interfering in construction projects, and ultimately bringing ruin upon himself.
"All of the military's engineering projects—from budgeting to bidding to acceptance—are fully open and transparent, with discipline inspection oversight throughout. As long as you meet the conditions, there is no need to wine and dine anyone; if you don't meet the conditions, it doesn't matter who you wine and dine!" Without waiting for a reply, he hung up.
"When the calls come in, how do you turn away the favors?" This leading cadre's conduct says it all: when every leading cadre puts the rules first and lays his cards on the table openly, he is instead able to win genuine understanding and recognition.
Before the education session ended, the leading cadre shared these heartfelt words with everyone: "Hold the disciplinary bottom line; consciously purify the 'three circles' (三圈). As has been repeatedly emphasized at all levels: the exercise of authority must have a basis; social contact should leave a trace (用权需有据、交往应有痕). Only by drawing a clear line between public and private can one move forward steadily and far!"
Reflection
Do Not Abandon the Rules During "Leisure" Time
■ Fu Qiang
To know what is straight and level, one must have a plumb line and a level; to know what is square and round, one must have a compass and a square. This ancient maxim profoundly reveals the importance of discipline and rules in conducting oneself, performing one's duties, and fulfilling one's responsibilities.
Leave, for officers and soldiers—and especially for leading cadres—is both an opportunity to shed fatigue and restore body and mind, and a touchstone for testing Party spirit and adhering to discipline.
When the busyness of work temporarily pauses, whether one's words and conduct "outside the eight hours" (八小时以外) can keep the string of discipline taut and hold the bottom line of regulations at all times is a test of whether Party member cadres hold discipline and rules in awe, and is an important measure of their cultivation of Party spirit (党性修养).
Keeping the rules means not crossing the line by even half a step. Comradeship runs deep, but genuine bonds between comrades-in-arms are absolutely not a "fig leaf" for private exchanges of favors. If, during leave, one cannot refuse invitations to banquets out of regard for personal feelings, or half-heartedly accepts local specialty gifts, it may seem to warm the relationship but in fact corrupts the rules. True care is the clean simplicity of handling public matters by the book; pure friendship is the openness of jointly holding the bottom line. Putting discipline first and speaking plainly upfront means refusing improper benefits and gaining inner peace and professional integrity in return.
Keeping the rules means not loosening the string of principle. Leading cadres hold public authority and will often become the targets of requests for "help" from relatives and friends. When returning home on leave and facing relatives' entreaties regarding transfers, examination admissions, special consideration, and the like, one must hold to principle as firmly as a mountain and strictly observe disciplinary regulations, and must absolutely never play at the margins or open loopholes because one "cannot bear to say no." Authority belongs to the public, not to the private individual. Leading cadres must especially cultivate a sound family ethos, treat managing their relatives as a basic discipline skill, hold to principle as firmly as defending a position, and win the understanding and support of family members through personal integrity.
Keeping the rules means harboring no fluke mentality. A small number of individuals with ulterior motives often use pretexts such as "having a meal and some tea" or "making a friend," while in fact coveting the authority in a leading cadre's hands. Against this, one must maintain a high degree of vigilance at all times, bearing firmly in mind the behavioral norms for social contact of military leading cadres and the requirements of being both "close" and "clean" (亲清). In contacts with local personnel, one must make the regulations plain and keep the bottom line fixed in one's heart—not only refraining from crossing the line oneself, but also guiding the other party to walk the right path and abide by the rules, ensuring that authority always operates in a regulated manner within the cage of the system.
Do not abandon the rules during "leisure" time. Only when leading cadres at all levels maintain at all times a sense of awe toward discipline and rules—holding firm in private and in small matters to the tests of social contact, authority, and family affection (交往关、权力关、亲情关)—and internalize compliance with regulations and discipline as daily habit and conscious action, can they stand up to scrutiny at any time. Only thus can they, in the openness of abiding by rules and regulations with clean hands, work with peace of mind, act with a free hand, and live up to their mission and the trust placed in them.