Ma Huaide: Adhere to the Organic Unity of Governing the Country According to Law and Governing the Party According to Regulations
When rule of law flourishes, the state flourishes; when rule of law is strong, the state is strong. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has positioned, planned, and practiced the rule of law from the overall and strategic perspective of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. It has forcefully advanced the inclusion of comprehensively governing the country according to the law into the "Four Comprehensives" strategic layout and has made a series of major decisions and deployments. At the same time, the Party Central Committee has gained a profound grasp of the important law that "to govern the country, one must first govern the Party; to govern the Party, one must be strict; and to be strict, one must follow the statutes." It has elevated institutional Party governance and governing the Party according to regulations to an unprecedented strategic height, deploying and advancing them in tandem with governing the country according to the law. This has not only promoted the further improvement of the system of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics and seen solid steps taken in the building of a Rule-of-Law China, but has also brought every aspect, process, and field of Party management and governance onto a track of institutionalization, standardization, and normalization. This has driven the achievement of historical successes in comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, providing a strong political and legal guarantee for the development of the cause of the Party and the state. On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the formal proposal of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, the Party Central Committee once again convened the Central Conference on Work Related to Overall Law-based Governance. General Secretary Xi Jinping issued important instructions on the work of comprehensive law-based governance, demonstrating the Party Central Committee’s unswerving determination to promote the construction of the rule of law. This has pointed out the fundamental direction for continuously deepening overall law-based governance and adhering to the organic unity of governing the country according to the law and governing the Party according to regulations on the new journey.
To further deepen the study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, the Outline for the Study of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law (2025 Edition) has been formally published. This book systematically explains the great significance, core tenets, spiritual essence, rich connotations, and practical requirements of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law. It summarizes its main aspects into the "Twelve Upholds," explicitly identifying "upholding the organic unity of governing the country according to the law and governing the Party according to regulations" as the "Twelfth Uphold." Adhering to this organic unity is a major assertion of landmark significance. Proceeding from the overall strategic perspective of ensuring the Party's long-term governance and the long-term stability of the country, it profoundly reveals the distinctive characteristics of the path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics. It marks a new height in our Party's understanding of the laws of Communist Party governance, the laws of socialist construction, and the laws of the development of human society. It has deepened our understanding of the laws governing the development of human political civilization and provided a fundamental guideline for comprehensively building a modern socialist country on the track of the rule of law and further advancing the new great project of Party building in the New Era.
Leveraging the Complementary Roles of Governing the Country According to the Law and Governing the Party According to Regulations
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must leverage the complementary roles of governing the country according to the law and governing the Party according to regulations." The organic unity of these two stems from their complementarity across multiple dimensions. This complementarity is not a simple juxtaposition but is rather the realization of functional connection and practical integration based on an identical essential source and commonality of goals. Ultimately, they complement each other in the great practice of ensuring the Party governs according to the law and promoting comprehensive and strict governance of the Party and overall law-based governance, jointly serving the goal of comprehensively building a modern socialist country on the track of the rule of law.
The two share an identical essence, both reflecting the fundamental will of the Party and the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Our Party's policies and state laws are both reflections of the fundamental will of the people and are consistent in essence." State laws are normative requirements for all citizens. Legislative work upholds the leadership of the CPC, reflects the will of the people, and legalizes and institutionalizes the Party's propositions and the people's will through legal procedures, representing the unity of "Party-ness" [1] and "people-ness." Intra-Party regulations are normative requirements for all Party members, directly reflecting the Party's will and propositions. Fundamentally, they maintain the fundamental interests of the broadest possible range of people, also representing the unity of Party-ness and people-ness. Governing the country according to the law is the basic strategy by which the Party leads the people in governing the country, while governing the Party according to regulations is the basic method for managing and governing the Party. Both are essentially methods of the Party's governance, and both ultimately aim to realize, maintain, and develop the fundamental interests of the broadest possible range of people.
The two share a common goal, unified in the promotion of the modernization of the state governance system and capacity. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must uphold the organic unity of governing the country according to the law and governing the Party according to regulations to ensure that the Party both governs the country and manages state affairs in accordance with the Constitution and laws, and manages and governs the Party strictly in accordance with intra-Party regulations." Both the system of state laws and the system of intra-Party regulations are important components of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. State laws adjust various relations and affairs within the state and society, while intra-Party regulations standardize Party organizations, the Party's leadership over the state, and the management of Party organizations and members. The fundamental orientation of both is to improve and develop the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. On the new journey, if our Party is to fulfill its major historical mission of governing and rejuvenating the country and achieve the long-term stability of the Party and the state, it must persist in the coordinated promotion and integrated construction of governing the country according to the law and governing the Party according to regulations. This requires simultaneously transforming the governance advantages of both into governance efficacy, ultimately unifying them in the practical process of state governance modernization. Consistency in this fundamental goal dictates that both must be deployed, advanced, and implemented together to form a powerful institutional synergy.
The two function complementarily, building a pattern of concerted effort and collaborative governance. State law is the "heavy vessel" [2] of national governance, possessing universal binding force and the coercive power of the state. It primarily regulates the external behavior of state organs, social organizations, and citizens, drawing a "bottom line" for behavior. Intra-Party regulations are the "yardstick" for governing the Party, possessing intra-Party binding force and political coercive power. They primarily regulate the work activities of Party organizations and the behavior of Party members, establishing a "high line" for behavior. Governing the country according to the law provides the foundation and support for governing the Party according to regulations; its awareness of rules and the concept of power being legally defined inject rule-of-law elements into Party affairs. Governing the Party according to regulations provides guidance and assurance for governing the country according to the law, requiring Party members and cadres to take the lead in respecting, studying, observing, and applying the law to lead the social trend of rule of law, and ensuring the implementation of state laws through strict intra-Party supervision. The two connect with and promote each other, jointly constituting a tight web of rules and forming a pattern where state laws and regulations and the system of intra-Party regulations complement and safeguard each other.
The two are interdependent in practice, running through the entire process of overall law-based governance and comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Overall law-based governance must grasp the 'key minority' [3] of leading cadres." Governing the Party according to regulations clarifies the Party's discipline and rules, especially political discipline and political rules, ensuring that leading cadres exercise power on the track of the rule of law. Comprehensively and strictly governing the Party requires using rule-of-law thinking and methods, promptly elevating effective experiences and practices from the anti-corruption struggle into laws and regulations, and achieving the organic unity of intra-Party supervision and state supervision, as well as Party disciplinary inspection and state supervision. This requires promoting the integration of disciplinary enforcement and law enforcement, adhering to the principle that "discipline is stricter than the law" and that "discipline comes before the law," and making good use of the "two yardsticks" of discipline and law. Practice shows that rule-of-law construction cannot succeed without the Party's strong leadership and the exemplary observance of state laws and regulations by Party members and cadres; Party building also needs to be carried out within a legal framework. Persisting in the organic unity of the two means making the process of overall law-based governance a process of deepening and expanding the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, and making the process of governing the Party according to regulations a process of consolidating and improving rule-of-law thinking and methods. Ultimately, they are unified in the institutionalization, standardization, and normalization of the Party's law-based governance, jointly maintaining the authority of the Party and the state and the unity of the entire Party and the whole country.
Comprehensively Promoting the Rule of Law to Consolidate the Foundation for Long-term Stability of the Party and the State
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Promoting overall law-based governance is a profound revolution in state governance." Within the organic unity of governing the country according to the law and governing the Party according to regulations, the former plays a foundational role in establishing rules for the country, defining boundaries for society, and delimiting the scope of power. It is not only the inevitable choice for the Party to lead the people in achieving good governance and the core engine for promoting the modernization of state governance, but it also provides the fundamental rule-of-law guarantee for the further development and correct direction of governing the Party according to regulations. Profoundly understanding and consistently adhering to the rule of law as a basic strategy for the Party’s governance of the country is an important prerequisite for achieving the coordinated promotion and integrated construction of governing the country according to the law and governing the Party according to regulations.
The rule of law is the legal guarantee for upholding the Party's leadership and ensuring the Party's long-term governance. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Socialist rule of law must uphold the Party's leadership, and the Party's leadership must rely on socialist rule of law." The relationship between the Party and the law is a concentrated reflection of the relationship between politics and the rule of law. The rule of law was proposed and advanced by our Party leading the people. Only under the Party's leadership can the people's role as masters of the country be fully realized, and the institutionalization and legalization of state and social life be orderly advanced. Governing the country according to the law first and foremost means that the Party itself must operate within the scope of the Constitution and the law, and govern the country and manage state affairs in accordance with them. The Constitution establishes the Party's leadership position in the form of the fundamental law of the land. Governing the country according to the law is precisely the process of institutionalizing and legalizing the Party's leadership through the Constitution and laws, ensuring that the Party's core role in exercising overall leadership and coordinating all efforts is fully realized. It requires skill in turning the Party's propositions into the will of the state through legal procedures, transforming them into laws and regulations that become norms of behavior followed by society as a whole. At the same time, the rule of law sets behavioral boundaries and operating procedures for all subjects exercising public power—including Party organizations at all levels and Party members and cadres—by building a complete system of legal norms, an efficient legal implementation system, a rigorous legal supervision system, and a powerful legal guarantee system, thereby preventing the abuse of power. This provides a stable and reliable institutional environment for the Party to govern scientifically, democratically, and in accordance with the law, which is vital for consolidating the Party's governing foundation and achieving the long-term stability of the Party and the state.
The rule of law is the basic way to promote the modernization of the state governance system and capacity. The rule of law is an important support for the state governance system and capacity. Governing the country according to the law focuses on bringing all state undertakings and work fully onto a rule-of-law track; its core function lies in regulating the exercise of public power and protecting the rights of citizens. Through scientific legislation, it builds a system of legal norms centered on the Constitution and covering all fields, providing authoritative, unified, and stable rules for state governance. Through strict law enforcement and impartial justice, it ensures the effective implementation of the law, maintains social fairness and justice, and resolves disputes. Through the observance of the law by all people, it cultivates a rule-of-law faith in society, creating an environment where people handle affairs according to the law, look to the law when facing issues, use the law to solve problems, and rely on the law to resolve conflicts. This entire set of rule-of-law operating mechanisms promotes the institutionalization, standardization, and normalization of governance, reduces governance costs, and improves governance efficacy—tasks that are important characteristics and inevitable requirements of a modern state. State laws possess universal binding force and state coercive power, providing a foundational and general framework of rules for various governance areas including economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological construction. They are the irreplaceable cornerstone for comprehensively building a modern socialist country on the track of the rule of law. Therefore, the level of rule of law directly determines the degree of state governance modernization.
Governing the country according to the law is the foundation and support for the effective advancement of governing the Party according to regulations. Although the two have different focuses, they support each other and are inseparable in practice. On one hand, governing the country according to the law provides a solid foundation and environment for governing the Party according to regulations. State laws define the bottom line for the behavior of all citizens and legal persons. While intra-Party regulations emphasize that "discipline is stricter than the law," they must first ensure that their provisions do not conflict with state laws, and that the activities of Party organizations and members are carried out within the framework of the Constitution and the law. The deep advancement of the rule of law has established an awareness of rules, concepts of procedure, and the principle that powers and responsibilities are legally defined across society, providing mature rule-of-law concepts and fertile social soil for the formulation and execution of intra-Party regulations. On the other hand, the rule-of-law literacy required by the rule of law is a prerequisite for Party members and cadres to obey the Party Constitution and intra-Party regulations. The leadership of Party members and cadres in respecting, studying, observing, and applying the law is an important guarantee for the strict execution of intra-Party regulations. The universal implementation of state laws helps enhance the ability of Party members and cadres to use rule-of-law thinking and methods to solve problems, making them more conscious of internalizing the spirit of the rule of law and externalizing it in their actions, thereby more proactively observing Party rules and discipline, which are stricter than the law. At the same time, the effective practice of the rule of law—specifically the supervision and constraint of the exercise of public power—constitutes widespread and powerful supervision of Party organizations and cadres, forming a synergy with intra-Party supervision to jointly drive the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party toward greater depth. Without the construction of a rule-of-law state as support, governing the Party according to regulations might lose its external reference standards and supervisory constraints, making it difficult to sustain or deepen.
Taking Governing the Party According to Regulations as the Basic Way to Manage and Govern the Party, and Preserving the Party’s Advanced Nature and Purity
General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out:
"Governing the Party according to regulations must penetrate the hearts of Party members for the rule of law to penetrate the hearts of the people." This important proposition not only elucidates the leading and pioneering role of governing the Party according to regulations [4] in relation to the rule of law, but further reveals the extreme importance of using institutionalized methods to manage and govern the Party in order to maintain its advanced nature and purity forever, and to consolidate its foundation for governance. Only by firmly grasping the key link of governing the Party according to regulations—using a sound system of internal Party regulations to define norms of conduct and maintaining the authority of these regulations through strict institutional execution—can we bring the practice of the Party's self-revolution into a standardized, institutionalized, and procedurized track, thereby cementing the "people's hearts" as the foundation for the rule of law.
We must take the Party Constitution as the fundamental compliance [5] and reinforce the institutional cornerstone of governing the Party according to regulations. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The Party Constitution is the general charter of the Party; it centrally embodies the Party's nature and purpose, its theory and line, its principles and policies, and its important propositions. It stipulates the Party's important systems and mechanisms, and is the fundamental norm of conduct that the entire Party must jointly observe." In perfecting the system of internal Party regulations, the Party Constitution must serve as the fundamental basis; in judging the performance of Party organizations at all levels and Party members and cadres, the Party Constitution must serve as the basic standard; and in resolving internal Party contradictions, the Party Constitution must serve as the fundamental rule. Practice since the 18th National Congress [6] eloquently proves that the various problems arising in the political ecosystem and the violations of Party regulations and discipline by leading cadres often trace back to a departure from the requirements of the Party Constitution. Therefore, we must maintain the authority of the Party Constitution, strengthen the supervision and inspection of its observance and execution, resolutely correct all acts that violate it, and ensure that the entire Party is united as "a solid piece of steel" on a common ideological, political, and active basis.
We must persist in ensuring that discipline is stricter than the law and that discipline precedes the law, using strict discipline to manage and govern the Party. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "The nature and purpose of the Party determine that discipline is stricter than the law and precedes the law." The Party's nature as a vanguard and its status as the ruling party dictate that its discipline must be stricter than national laws. This fully reflects the internal logic of our Party's insistence on higher standards and stricter requirements for its own members. Numerous cases prove that when a Party member "breaks the law," it invariably begins with "breaking discipline." Only by putting the Party's discipline and rules [7] out in front and using discipline to manage the majority can we effectively overcome the erroneous thinking that "violating discipline is only a minor matter; only violating the law requires handling," thereby achieving the goal of "nipping problems in the bud" [8]. We must deepen the application of the "Four Forms" of supervision and discipline [9], particularly putting greater effort into the "First Form," making "reddening faces and sweating brows" [10] a regular occurrence and resolving problems in their nascent state. We must prioritize strengthening political and organizational discipline to drive the comprehensive tightening of discipline regarding integrity, the masses, work, and lifestyle. This will ensure that "iron discipline" is truly transformed into the daily habits and conscious compliance of Party members and cadres, fundamentally reversing the "loose, soft, and weak" state of Party governance, maintaining the health of the Party's organism, and ensuring its perpetual vitality.
Equal emphasis must be placed on improving the system and strengthening execution, allowing "iron rules" to exert their force and "prohibitions" to display their power. Through long-term efforts, and especially through the "revolutionary forging" since the New Era began, our Party has formed a relatively complete system of internal Party regulations, providing a solid institutional foundation for governing the Party according to regulations. Facing the future, we must continue to perfect this system and further tighten the "institutional cage." As the saying goes, "Once laws are implemented and discipline is rectified, there is no country that cannot be governed and no people who cannot be transformed" [11]. At the same time, it must be recognized that the vitality of an institution lies in its execution. Currently, problems such as "hot at the top, warm in the middle, and cold at the bottom," selective execution, and "flexible" circumventing of rules still exist in the implementation of internal Party regulations. Some cadres' awareness of and ability to execute Party regulations need reinforcement. We must insist that everyone is equal before the system and there are no exceptions in execution, resolutely maintaining the seriousness and authority of the system. We must exert great effort in implementation and execution, resolutely and seriously investigating those who violate regulations or discipline, step over "red lines," cross "bottom lines," or enter "minefields." We must not break rules for the powerful, nor condone minor issues; we must leave no "secret doors" or "skylights," and resolutely prevent the "broken windows effect." Supervision, discipline, and accountability must be strengthened, and institutional execution must be incorporated into evaluations to create a clear orientation where regulations must be followed, execution must be strict, and violations must be prosecuted.
Integrating discipline strengthening with law enforcement to enhance systemic governance efficacy. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must persist in the rule of law and governing the Party according to regulations, stand up and establish discipline and rules, and—strictly following the scales of discipline and law—connect law enforcement with discipline strengthening." To promote the organic unity of the rule of law and governing the Party according to regulations, we must give full play to the Party's core leadership role in overseeing the overall situation and coordinating all parties. The key lies in realizing the integration and coordination of discipline strengthening and law enforcement. This is not merely a connection of procedures and mechanisms, but a deep practice based on the internal unity of Party discipline and national law; it is an inevitable requirement for improving the systemic and synergistic nature of governance. We must persist in "discipline stricter than law" and "discipline preceding law," ensuring that discipline and law enforcement work in the same direction with precision, tightly connecting and constructing a unified defense line to ensure the deep integration and implementation of the policy of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party and the strategy of the rule of law.
The integration of discipline and law enforcement begins with a profound grasp of the rich connotations of the Party's "rules" (guīju). An individual without rules is ruined; a party without rules is disordered. Rules are of extreme importance for the survival and development of a political party. Our Party's rules are an organic whole with clear levels and a complete system. The Party Constitution is the general charter and general rule that the entire Party must follow, the most basic and important norm of conduct. Party discipline consists of "rigid constraints," among which political discipline is the fundamental guarantee for maintaining the Party’s solidarity and unity. National laws are rigid rules that all citizens, including Party members and cadres, must observe; cadres must serve as role models in respecting, studying, observing, and using the law. The fine traditions and work practices formed by the Party over long-term practice are also important norms of conduct, reflecting the distinct political character of Chinese Communists. This system of rules constitutes a dense network for managing the Party. All Party members and cadres must constantly keep the "rulers" of law, discipline, the system, rules, and morality in their hearts, ensuring they have awe in their hearts, restraint in their words, and limits to their actions. This is both an internal requirement for maintaining the advanced nature of Party members and an ideological dam against the risks of corruption.
The integration of discipline and law enforcement relies on the major institutional innovation of the reform of the national supervision system. The 19th National Congress of the CPC made the major decision to "deepen the reform of the national supervision system and roll out pilot work nationwide." Through institutional innovation, this reform integrated the functions of administrative supervision departments, corruption prevention agencies, and the anti-corruption duties of the procuratorates. By placing all personnel exercising public power under supervision, it effectively solved past problems such as narrow supervision scope, scattered anti-corruption forces, and poor connection between discipline and law. It has formed a powerful monitoring force centered on internal Party supervision that integrates with other forms of supervision, carrying profound significance. In practice, we must coordinately use the "two rulers" of discipline and law. On one hand, we must strengthen disciplinary supervision and ensure strict discipline to discover and investigate problems in Party style and discipline promptly. On the other hand, we must strengthen supervisory law enforcement to investigate issues concerning the lawful performance of duties, the impartial use of power, and professional ethics, truly establishing the rules for the operation of power.
The key to the integration of discipline and law enforcement lies in effectively transforming institutional advantages into governance efficacy. Deeply merging the Party's disciplinary inspection with the implementation of national law and building an institutional system where discipline is stricter than and precedes the law not only strengthens the deterrent of "not daring to be corrupt" [12] by making the costs of corruption explicit and rigid, but also tightens the cage of "not being able to be corrupt," subjecting power to the dual regulation of discipline and law and compressing the space for discretion and rent-seeking. Furthermore, it plays a foundational role in cultivating the conscious realization of "not wanting to be corrupt," tempering the Party spirit and character of cadres through daily disciplinary education, internal moral constraints, and the majestic warnings of the law. This practice of integration promotes the organic unity of internal Party supervision and national supervision, and of governing the Party according to regulations and the rule of law. It vividly demonstrates the unique advantages of the path of the socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics, providing a more solid and effective institutional guarantee for modernizing the national governance system and capacity. On the New Journey [13], we must continue to uphold and improve this system to ensure the high-quality advancement of Chinese-path modernization and the great cause of national rejuvenation.
(The author is the President of Renmin University of China) Source: People's Daily (January 12, 2026) Web Editor: Huihui