Officials urged to promote 'mass line' campaign

BEIJING - China's top leadership has called on local officials to vigorously promote the "mass line" education campaign and apply it to boosting development and people's livelihoods.

"Officials should set an example by studying and bearing in mind the 'mass line' guideline, always seeing things from the perspective of the mass," said a Tuesday statement that summarized inspections made by seven members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee as part of the campaign.

"Mass line" refers to a guideline under which CPC officials and members are required to prioritize the interests of the people and persist in representing them and working on their behalf.

President Xi Jinping (C) talks with local citizens in Xibaipo, an old revolutionary base, in North China's Hebei province. Xi made an inspection tour of Hebei province from July 11 to 12. [Photo/Xinhua]

During the inspections, President Xi Jinping visited North China's Hebei province between July 11 and 12, visiting local villages, communities, enterprises and government departments to listen to opinions and review local education campaigns.

Meanwhile, Premier Li Keqiang inspected South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli respectively visited Jiangsu, Gansu, Zhejiang, Heilongjiang and Sichuan provinces.

According to the statement, the seven leaders held symposiums with local officials and grassroots people and heard reports from local Party committees. They also set down requirements for local "mass line" education campaigns.

The leaders called on officials to set education and practices in the context of local realities and align the results of the campaign with the goals of boosting local development and people's livelihoods.

Stressing the fight against formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance, the statement urged officials to listen to ordinary people's opinions and correct undesirable work styles in line with their expectations.

After the Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee headed the campaign by relaying criticisms and self-criticisms during a meeting last month, the statement urged local officials to carry out the campaign at lower levels with high criteria and strict requirements.

The statement encouraged officials to make more effort to expose faults and improve themselves based on criticisms, calling for a long-term and effective system to consolidate the positive effects of the campaign.

"Effective methods should be explored to deepen education, draw people closer and solve various problems," the statement added.