Tian Shen: Using the Central Eight-Point Regulations as the Governing Principle to Firmly Establish Bottom-Line Thinking [1] and Strictly Guard the Defense Line of Financial Work
Editor’s Note: In order to earnestly carry out study and education on the profound implementation of the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulations, to encourage the youth of the entire Academy to deeply study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on strengthening the Party's work style construction, and to consciously create a clean and upright political ecosystem [1] and academic ecosystem, the Youth League Committee of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), in collaboration with the Chinese Social Sciences Net, has launched a special column of written discussions titles "CASS Youth Speak: Study and Education on the Profound Implementation of the Spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulations." We have invited outstanding young cadres and scholars from our Academy to write interpretative articles based on their insights and practical reflections on studying and implementing the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulations and their implementation rules. This column aims to demonstrate the high level of political, ideological, and active consciousness [2] among our Academy’s youth, contributing youthful strength to the opening of a new chapter in our Academy’s political construction through new achievements in work style construction.
Tian Shen is a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC) with a Master of Business Administration. He is a Level-6 Management Clerk and Supervising Accountant at the Institute of Ethnic Literature of CASS, having been rooted in grassroots financial work for over 20 years.
In his important speech at the second plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The formulation and implementation of the Central Eight-Point Regulations is an act of ‘moving the pole to establish trust’ [3] by our Party in the New Era. We must grasp it untiringly and persist over the long term. If ten years are not enough, then twenty; if twenty years are not enough, then thirty, until it truly transforms into custom and habit, leading the transformation of social and folk customs with an excellent Party style.” Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has promoted the Party’s work style construction with unprecedented determination and intensity. By introducing the Central Eight-Point Regulations, they used a "small point of entry" to drive a "grand transformation," rectifying many unhealthy tendencies within the Party. Simultaneously, the CPC Central Committee has revised and perfected a series of rules and regulations, and for the first time, included financial and accounting supervision within the Party and state supervision system, together building a solid fortress for the Party’s work style construction in the New Era.
The spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulations is a key handle for strengthening the Party’s work style construction in the New Era; it is the point of entry and an important support for work style construction, and moreover, it is the action guide that financial work must follow. Incorporating the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulations specifically into financial work is of extremely significant and far-reaching importance. It can standardize financial management, making financial workflows clearer and standards more unified; effectively prevent risks to clean governance, preventing financial personnel from falling into the quagmire of corruption due to momentary greed; strengthen institutional constraints, ensuring that every financial activity has rules to follow and laws to abide by; and safeguard the healthy development of scientific research, ensuring that research funds are truly "used on the blade of the knife" [4], providing solid financial support for scientific innovation and truly realizing the value of financial work as a "safeguard" for the cause of the Party and the people. As frontline financial workers within the Academy, we shoulder important responsibilities and missions. In our daily work, we must consciously persist in taking Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as our guide, permeate the entire process of financial work with bottom-line thinking, strictly defend the first line of defense in financial work, earnestly implement the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulations, and strictly execute financial laws and regulations.
I. Strengthening the ideological guidance of the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulations is the cornerstone of fortifying the defense line of financial work As financial workers, we should profoundly comprehend the rich connotations of the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulations. We must transform these into our own professional ethics and behavioral norms, internalizing them in the mind and externalizing them in action. We must firmly establish an awareness of integrity and self-discipline ideologically, maintaining a clear head at all times and refusing to be deluded by various interests and temptations. In daily work, we should use the Central Eight-Point Regulations as a yardstick to strictly control the flow of every sum of money. From the application and approval of funds to their usage and reimbursement, every link must be transparent, reasonable, and compliant. For every expenditure, we must ask whether it complies with regulations and whether it is truly used for work needs, ensuring that funds are not diverted or wasted, and are truly used for the cause of serving the Party and the people.
II. Using the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulations to standardize financial process management is the key to ensuring the safe and efficient operation of funds Financial departments should conduct a comprehensive review and screening of existing financial systems against the requirements of the Central Eight-Point Regulations. Systems that do not comply with the Regulations or do not adapt to the requirements of the new situation must be timely revised and perfected. We must strictly standardize the processes of budget formulation, execution, and evaluation. In the budget formulation stage, we must fully consider actual work needs to avoid blind budgeting; in the execution stage, we must use funds strictly according to the budget arrangement, putting an end to expenditures that exceed or lack budget; in the evaluation stage, we must establish a scientific and rational assessment mechanism to objectively evaluate budget execution. Simultaneously, we must resolutely curb phenomena of extravagance and waste, and strengthen financial supervision over key areas and crucial links. For example, regarding the use of research funds, we must strengthen supervision over expenditures such as equipment procurement, travel expenses, and meeting fees to ensure every cent is spent "on the blade of the knife," tangibly improving the efficiency of fund utilization.
III. Strengthening supervision and accountability is a powerful guarantee for the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulations to take root in financial work We should further establish and improve supervision mechanisms, strengthening internal audits and external supervision. Internal audit is the "self-physical examination" of financial work; by periodically auditing financial activities, we can discover and correct existing problems in a timely manner. External supervision includes inspections by higher-level departments, audits by auditing authorities, and supervision by the public, forming an all-encompassing, multi-layered supervision system. Through strict supervision and accountability, we can create a powerful deterrent. For behaviors that violate financial regulations or fail to observe the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulations, we must seriously pursue the responsibility of the relevant personnel and never indulge or accommodate them. Only in this way can we normalize and institutionalize financial work, contributing to the creation of a clean and upright academic ecosystem and a good research environment within the Academy.
Bottom-line thinking is the firm conviction of financial workers in guarding the disciplinary bottom line; it is moreover a powerful weapon for consolidating the foundation of the Party's work style construction. We must effectively treat the "bottom line" as a rigid constraint on financial behavior. The spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulations points the direction for financial work; the problems of the "Four Winds" sound the alarm at all times; and the "Six Major Disciplines" [5] build a solid barrier. These three aspects complement and synergize with each other, together constructing a "protective net" for the standardized operation of financial work. As frontline financial workers, we must maintain a cautious attitude of being "as if treading on thin ice or sitting on a bed of needles" [6] and a sense of responsibility of "always being concerned" [7], permeating financial work with bottom-line thinking so that the flow of every sum of money can withstand the test of discipline, the supervision of the masses, and the judgment of history, writing a new chapter of financial work worthy of the Party, the people, and the times on the new journey of the New Era.
(The author is a Level-6 Management Clerk and Supervising Accountant at the Institute of Ethnic Literature, CASS) Source: Chinese Social Sciences Net Web Editor: Tongxin