CPC embraces 92nd anniversary with stricter discipline

BEIJING - As the Communist Party of China (CPC) embraced its 92nd anniversary on Monday, the world's largest ruling party is relying on its traditional advantages and stricter Party disciplines to better meet challenges posed by rapidly changing domestic and international environments.

During its 63 years in power, the CPC has elevated China to its place as the world's second largest economy, but the 85 million-member Party is well aware that its legitimacy does not depend solely on economic development.

The new Chinese leadership has warned that the biggest threat to the Party involves alienating itself from the masses, as a slew of Party members and officials are not caring about people's well-being.

"Winning or losing public support is an issue that concerns the CPC's survival," Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said in June while starting a clean-up campaign to reinforce the "mass line," a Party policy aimed at broadening and cultivating contact with the masses.

He stressed that the mass-line is the "lifeline of the Party" and a "fundamental route of work."

The CPC was founded among the people and powered by the people, which means the Party shall never abandon its principle of "identifying itself with the masses of the people," said professor Xie Chuntao at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.

Party members should never forget their identities as "servants of the people," and more importantly, they should translate that principle into concrete practices, Xie said.

Analysts have said that the new Chinese leadership is demonstrating its willingness to listen to public grievances and tackle deep-rooted problems that are getting in the way of the Party's development.

Xi's remarks came as the CPC faces mounting dangers of members slacking off mentally, being incompetent, alienating the masses and being dispirited and corrupt - all at a time when the situations of the both country and the world are undergoing dramatic change, said Gao Xinmin, another professor at the school.

China has entered an era when the market economy and socialist democracy are developing fast and the Party is facing more difficulties in coordinating people's diversified interests amid shifting social and interest structures, Gao said.

The CPC needs to build a long-term mass-line mechanism that would force officials to hold themselves accountable to the people, she said.

Better Official Elections

The most important points in building such a mechanism include improving the system of assessing officials, giving more play to public opinion in such assessments and stepping up the transformations of government functions, Gao said.

Last week, Xi said the Party and a team of high-quality officials are key to realizing the development goals.

More efforts should be made to improve the transparency of promotions and encourage an upright style in the recommendation and assessment of officials, he said, adding that the promotion of officials should not be decided by a simple tally of votes.

The growth rate of the gross domestic product (GDP) has long been one of the decisive factors in assessing and promoting officials in China. The system has inspired officials to develop local economies by every possible means, and some of their tactics have led to heavy pollution, wasted energy and an imbalanced economic structure.

Now, the new leadership is determined to shake off the GDP obsession that has ignited public outrage.

The CPC should adopt more comprehensive criteria for assessing officials' performances, including people's livelihood, the development of local communities and environmental well-being, Xi said. "We should never judge a cadre simply by the growth in GDP."

Xi also stressed the training and promotion of young Party officials and pledged that more opportunities would be offered to promising young candidates.

Stricter Disciplines

Corruption remains one of the hardest nuts to crack. Undesirable work styles, such as formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance, are also alienating the Party from the people, robbing the CPC of its foundation among the people.

On the eve of the CPC's 92nd anniversary, Xi told a meeting on the work of CPC personnel resources that intra-Party management and rules can never be slackened, as the CPC is an 85 million-member political organization that has ruled a country of 1.3 billion for so long.

He urged strict education, management and supervision within the Party, ensuring that every Party official understands that holding his or her post means he or she must work harder and accept stricter disciplines.

About 2,290 people have been punished for violating rules set roughly six months ago to fight bureaucracy and formalism, according to the latest figure available.

To set examples for the entire Party in the fight against undesirable work styles, top CPC leaders relayed criticisms and self-criticisms during a high-profile meeting last week.

Political Bureau members should be strict with themselves and be self-starters, said a statement issued after the conference of the 25-member Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.