Xin Xiangli: Integrating Rectifying Conduct, Disciplining, and Combatting Corruption
“To govern the country, one must first govern the Party; only when the Party flourishes can the country be strong.” Party building is an important engine for promoting the high-quality development of the country, and its importance is self-evident. Following the National Lianghui [1], study and education programs to deeply implement the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations have been launched throughout the entire Party, sounding the battle horn to unswervingly win the tough battle of conduct construction.
During his inspection tours in Guizhou and Yunnan, General Secretary Xi Jinping further emphasized “integrating the rectification of conduct, the enforcement of discipline, and the fight against corruption,” pointing out a scientific path for Party building. Integrating these three elements is the key to promoting the development of various aspects of Party building toward greater depth. Only by organically combining the rectification of conduct, the enforcement of discipline, and the fight against corruption—and by persisting with them consistently—can we promote the Party’s conduct construction and anti-corruption struggle to become more concrete, more in-depth, and more effective, thereby providing a solid guarantee for high-quality development.
The Party’s conduct concerns the support or opposition of the people and determines the success or failure of our cause. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly warned the entire Party that “the masses most detest corruption and undesirable conduct.” Undesirable conduct is the breeding ground for corruption. Looking at their internal connections, although undesirable conduct and corruption manifest in different forms, they actually share the same root and origin. Looking at their practical harm, the “Four Winds” violate the Party’s nature and purpose, while corruption, like a malignant tumor, severely erodes the Party’s foundation for governance. Looking at the comprehensive effectiveness, only by coordinating the management and integrated rectification of conduct and corruption—both “investigating corruption through conduct” and “correcting conduct through corruption”—can we sever the chain of interests where conduct and corruption interweave. By integrating the rectification of conduct, the enforcement of discipline, and the fight against corruption, and by struggling against all phenomena that may harm the interests of the masses, shake the foundation of the Party, or hinder the Party’s cause, can we win the sincere support of the masses and build our Party to be even stronger and more powerful.
The advanced nature of the Party is not innate; it is forged through the continuous tempering of self-revolution. Since the day of its birth, the Party has placed conduct construction, discipline construction, and the anti-corruption struggle in prominent positions. Since the 18th National Congress [2], the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has broken ground by formulating and implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations. With the tenacity of “sharpening a sword for ten years” [3], they have continuously polished the “golden business card” of conduct construction, bringing a fresh change to social morale. We must also clearly see that currently, relapses and "resurgences" have appeared in some places, and blind spots and dead corners still exist in certain areas. We must persevere, persist over the long term, and struggle to the end against various phenomena of passivity and corruption to ensure the Party always remains the vanguard of the times and the backbone of the nation.
As a Marxist party in power for the long term with over 99 million members and more than 5 million primary-level Party organizations, our Party shoulders the historical heavy responsibility of comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. At present, the interweaving and mutual reinforcement of undesirable conduct and corruption is a prominent problem that must be focused on in the management and governance of the Party. We must always adhere to systems thinking and scientific methods, organically integrate the rectification of conduct, enforcement of discipline, and the fight against corruption, and form a work pattern where every link is connected and every layer progresses. We must improve the working mechanism for the simultaneous investigation and rectification of conduct and corruption, insist on grasping Party spirit, Party conduct, and Party discipline together, and promote the transformation of the institutional advantages of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party into national governance efficacy. Party organizations at all levels should focus on the theme and organize study and education in a simple and pragmatic manner, persist in integrating the rectification of conduct, the enforcement of discipline, and the fight against corruption, and guide the vast number of Party members and cadres to consciously observe rules and discipline while boldly engaging in entrepreneurship and practical work.