[Original] Li Zhendong: The Internal Logic and Implementation Paths of the Two "Always on the Road"
The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC explicitly pointed out: "Comprehensively and strictly governing the Party is always on the road; the Party's self-revolution is always on the road. We must never harbor any sentiment of relaxing, resting, fatigue, or wariness of struggle. We must persist over the long term in advancing the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, deeply advance the new great project of Party building in the New Era, and lead social revolution through the Party's self-revolution." Since the 18th National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has focused on the mission and tasks of the Party in the new orientation of the New Era and new journey, focused on the tests and challenges the Party faces, and focused on the clarity and determination required to solve the unique challenges of a large party [1]. He proposed the important thesis of the "Two 'Always on the Road,'" which points the way forward for implementing the general requirements for Party building in the New Era. This carries extremely significant weight for our deep advancement of the new great project of Party building in the New Era, the comprehensive building of a modern socialist country, and the advancement of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
I. Deeply Grasping the Internal Logical Relationship of the "Two 'Always on the Road'"
(1) The Party's self-revolution is the theoretical foundation of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. When Marx and Engels drafted the first programmatic document of scientific socialism, the Manifesto of the Communist Party, they explicitly stated: "The Communists have no interests separate and apart from those of the proletariat as a whole"; "They do not set up any sectarian principles of their own, by which to shape and mould the proletarian movement." This indicated the true revolutionary nature displayed by the proletariat at various stages of the struggle against the bourgeoisie. Since the day of its founding, the CPC has persisted in carrying out self-revolution, resolutely struggling against all issues that affect the Party's advanced nature or weaken the Party's purity. It has always conducted self-revolution based on the tasks of different periods and the prominent problems existing within the Party.
During the New Democratic Revolution period, the Party centered its active self-revolution on issues of political line and impurity of organizational thought. From the August 7 Meeting [2] and the Gutian Congress [3] to the Zunyi Conference [4] and then the Yan’an Rectification Movement [5], the Party used the spirit of self-revolution to actively correct errors, summarize experience, perfect itself, and march toward victory. During the period of socialist revolution and construction, the Party launched the "Three-Antis" and "Five-Antis" movements [6] within the process of national construction and carried out resolute struggles against counter-revolutionary cliques. During the new period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, the Party actively faced problems head-on, "turning the blade inward" [7] to solve issues, actively promoting reforms from the countryside to the cities, and continuously improving the quality of Party building under new historical conditions.
Since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has continuously deepened its understanding of the laws governing the construction of a ruling party. In the great practice of promoting the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, it has continuously pushed forward the strategic thought of the Party's self-revolution. The report to the 19th National Congress pointed out: "Having the courage to conduct self-revolution and strictly governing the Party is the most distinctive character of our Party." At the ceremony marking the centenary of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "The courage to conduct self-revolution is the significant mark that distinguishes the CPC from other political parties." The report to the 20th National Congress emphasized: "Through unremitting efforts, the Party has found self-revolution as the second answer to escaping the historical cycle of rise and fall [8]. Its ability to achieve self-purification, self-perfection, self-renewal, and self-improvement has been significantly enhanced. The situation of 'loose, soft, and weak' [9] governance over the Party has been fundamentally reversed. A clean and healthy internal political ecosystem continues to form and develop, ensuring the Party will never change its nature, its conviction, or its character [10]." General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on the Party’s self-revolution concentratedly elaborate on the significance, basic ideas, content system, and scientific methods of promoting self-revolution in the New Era, providing the fundamental adherence for promoting the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party and opening a new realm of the Party’s self-revolution.
(2) Comprehensively and strictly governing the Party is the great practice of the Party's self-revolution in the New Era. In January 2022, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in his speech at the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection: "Comprehensively and strictly governing the Party is the great practice of the Party's self-revolution in the New Era, opening a new realm of self-revolution for a century-old party." In the New Era, regarding how to solve the Party's own problems and continue tempering the Party into a strong leadership core—enlightening it with sufficient capacity and energy to lead the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics toward greater victory—the issue of Party building and governance is of the greatest consequence. It concerns the fundamental interests of the state, the nation, and the people, as well as the future and destiny of the Party.
This inevitably requires our Party to summon the revolutionary spirit of a Marxist party, always maintaining the consciousness to face problems squarely and the courage to "turn the blade inward." Facing major risks and tests as well as prominent problems within the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has repeatedly emphasized that "to handle China's affairs well, the key lies in the Party—specifically, the Party must manage the Party and the Party must be governed comprehensively and strictly." It has incorporated the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party into the "Four Comprehensives" strategic layout, permeating all aspects of Party building and interpreting the inherent requirements of self-revolution through its rich connotations.
General Secretary Xi Jinping has further emphasized on various occasions the need to maintain flesh-and-blood ties with the masses, to maintain and develop the Party's advanced nature and purity, to never relax Party governance for a single moment, to persist in bottom-line thinking, to improve the quality of Party members and cadres, to enhance the functions of Party organizations, to permeate the entire process of Party governance with strict requirements, to ensure that "the metal-smith must be strong themselves" [11], to persist in putting discipline at the forefront, to prevent the spread of corruption, to solve internal problems without a moment's pause, to remember the Party has no special interests of its own, to ensure the Party is never complacent or sluggish, to resolutely oppose privileges, and to persist in a problem-oriented approach.
This series of new ideas, viewpoints, and theses are all products of a deep grasp of Party building practice in the New Era. They scientifically apply Marxist theories of party building, continuously summarize the lessons of the Party's self-revolution and the laws of Communist Party governance, and represent major achievements in enriching the Party's revolutionary theory, possessing significant epochal value and meaning. Since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has governed the Party comprehensively and strictly with immense courage and determination. It has persisted in a strict tone, strict measures, and a strict atmosphere; strengthened supervision, discipline enforcement, and accountability; and focused on the "key few" [12]. The Party has become stronger through revolutionary tempering. With the determination of "using strong medicine to treat a chronic illness" and "applying heavy penalties to cure disorder," and with the courage of "scraping the bone to remove poison" [13] and "a brave man lopping off his own wrist" [14], it has unswervingly "beaten tigers," "swatted flies," and "hunted foxes" [15]. Starting with the Eight-Point Regulations, it has halted perverse winds that had gone unchecked for years, solved stubborn chronic ailments left unresolved for a long time, and eliminated serious hidden dangers within the Party, the state, and the military. Comprehensively and strictly governing the Party has achieved historic and pioneering accomplishments and produced all-encompassing, deep-level influence. This great practice has opened a new realm of self-revolution for a century-old party.
II. Deeply Understanding the Major Historical Significance of the "Two 'Always on the Road'"
(1) The "Two 'Always on the Road'" clarify the general requirements for the new great project of Party building in the New Era. To advance the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics into an irreversible historical process and to promote the great project of Party building in the New Era, the CPC is the core, the key, and the important guarantee. The two are in a relationship of dialectical unity: the realization of the great cause requires the anchoring role of the great project, while the construction of the great project is encompassed within the historical process of the great cause and serves its development and realization. The new great project of Party building in the New Era requires the ruling party to maintain a posture, body, and energy that is proactive, healthy, sustained, upward-moving, and courageous. It requires the governing capacity and level to manage the Party and solve the unique challenges of large-party governance, enabling its members to think deeply, maintain a clear head, and recognize complex situations. The "Two 'Always on the Road'" insist on strict, tight, and hard governance. With the clarity and determination of "always being on the road to the exam," [16] they ensure constant and unremitting attention, aligning with the general requirements of the new great project of Party building in the New Era. This ensures our Party maintains its combat effectiveness, cohesion, and leadership in the process of advancing the great cause.
(2) The "Two 'Always on the Road'" manifest the original aspiration, founding mission, and sense of responsibility of Chinese Communists. Since its founding, the CPC has taken seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation as its original aspiration and founding mission. For over a century, the aspiration has remained unchanged and the mission stays the same. The interests of the people and the future of the nation have always been a heavy presence in the Party’s heart; they are also the internal force and source of power for our Party to carry forward the past, open up the future, innovate, and continuously march from victory to victory. Because it deeply understands the heavy burden it shoulders and the complexity of the governing environment, our Party will never allow the long-term existence of internal problems—such as impurity of ideology, organization, or conduct—that would affect its advanced nature and purity. The proposal of the scientific thesis of the "Two 'Always on the Road'" provides the requirements, direction, and guarantee for placing Party building as the overarching principle for all work, ensuring the Party does not change its nature, conviction, or character, and maintains its essential qualities as a Marxist ruling party.
(3) The "Two 'Always on the Road'" reveal the internal driving force for the century-old party to remain in its prime. Over the past century, the CPC has led the Chinese people through bloody battles, unyielding persistence, self-reliance, and hard work with a spirit of self-confidence, self-improvement, upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground. By carrying forward the great founding spirit of the Party, developing the spirit of struggle, and adhering to a correct materialist view of history and the Party, it has created great achievements in the New Democratic Revolution, socialist revolution and construction, reform and opening up, socialist modernization, and socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era—writing a magnificent and majestic epic.
As a Marxist party with a strong sense of potential hardship and crisis, while achieving great successes, we also deeply understand that factors and problems endangering our governing status still exist in the Party's politics, ideology, study, work, and conduct—some of which are quite serious. In January 2018, General Secretary Xi Jinping noted in a speech to new members and alternate members of the Central Committee and major provincial and ministerial officials: "When meeting Chinese and foreign journalists after the First Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee, I said that the CPC is committed to the eternal great cause of the Chinese nation, and a hundred years is precisely the prime of life. At the same time, when I said this, I had a deep sense of concern. After a regime is established, it is very difficult to maintain prosperity and long-term stability. If one is not self-reflective, vigilant, and hardworking, even the most powerful regime may reach a dead end." The "Two 'Always on the Road'" represent the strategic thought and deployment proposed through the practical exploration of governing and managing the Party during its extraordinary hundred-year journey. Weathering a century of wind and rain, being tempered into steel over a century, and remaining in its prime for a century—none of this can be separated from the Party's revolutionary tempering of itself. This is the genetic code and internal driving force that makes the CPC stronger, more powerful, and full of vitality.
III. The Implementation Path for the "Two 'Always on the Road'"
(1) Taking political construction as the overarching principle to ensure the Party's centralization and unity. Speaking politics with a clear-cut stand is the fundamental requirement for our Party as a Marxist party. The political construction of the Party was a major proposition explicitly put forward at the 19th National Congress. The report defined the status of political construction in Party building using terms like "fundamental construction," "placed in the primary position," and "as the overarching principle," which holds great realistic and historical significance. The Party’s emphasis on taking political construction as the overarching principle to ensure centralization and unity has laid a solid political foundation for the "Two 'Always on the Road'."
Based on a deep grasp of the historical experience of over a century of unremitting struggle, our Party has explicitly placed the adherence to and strengthening of the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee as the primary task for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party and deeply advancing the new great project of Party building in the New Era. This manifests the extreme importance of the Party's centralization and unity as well as the responsibility of the CPC. From the Gutian Congress establishing the principles of ideological Party building and political army building, to the 7th National Congress emphasizing "first and foremost focus on construction in ideology and politics, while simultaneously building the organization," to the period after the founding of New China where "ideological and political work are the guarantees for completing economic and technical work," and to the New Era where "central and state organs are first and foremost political organs and must speak politics with a clear-cut stand"—the Party has always treated political construction as the priority of priorities in founding, governing, and managing the Party. It never relaxes the political education of Party members and cadres. This is a successful experience of Party building work. Only by grasping political construction tightly, practically, and well can the Party become stronger and more powerful in its revolutionary tempering and undertake the mission of social construction.
(2) Continuously improving and perfecting the system of institutional norms and internal Party regulations. Comrade Deng Xiaoping, as the primary advocate for institutional Party governance, pointed out when summarizing the "Cultural Revolution" [17]...
When reflecting on the profound lessons of the "ten years of catastrophe" [18], Comrade Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "Issues regarding institutions are more fundamental, comprehensive, stable, and long-term. Such institutional issues relate to whether the Party and the state will change color [19], and must be given high priority by the entire Party." He further noted, "If institutional issues are not resolved, issues of ideology and work style cannot be resolved." This represented an innovation by the Party during the early period of Reform and Opening-up, focusing on perfecting the leadership systems of the Party and state while exploring Party building within the realm of institutional norms; it laid the ideological and institutional reform foundation for the healthy development of the Party over the following forty-plus years. To perfect the system of institutional norms for the Party's self-revolution, we must persist in institutional Party governance and governing the Party in accordance with internal regulations.
In his speech at the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must persist in constructing a system of institutional norms for self-purification, self-perfection, self-reformation, and self-improvement, providing an institutional guarantee for promoting the great self-revolution." The report to the 20th Party Congress further clarified that "after unremitting efforts, the Party has found self-revolution as the second answer to escaping the historical cycle of rise and fall [20], and its capacity for self-purification, self-perfection, self-reformation, and self-improvement has been significantly enhanced." It made the strategic deployment to "improve the system for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, comprehensively promote the Party’s self-purification, self-perfection, self-reformation, and self-improvement," and "perfect the system of institutional norms for the Party's self-revolution." Institutional Party governance and governing the Party in accordance with internal regulations are inherent requirements for carrying out the Party's self-revolution and constitute two major subjects in the field of Party building. In terms of regulating the words and deeds of Party members and cadres, supervising the exercise of public power, tightening intra-Party political life, and maintaining Party unity and solidarity, institutional regulations have always played an irreplaceable role and serve as an important guarantee for the practical innovation of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party in the New Era.
(3) Forging a high-quality cadre corps for discipline inspection and supervision. Discipline inspection and supervision organs are the Party's "disciplinary force," and the cadre corps for discipline inspection and supervision is an important force for promoting the comprehensively and strictly governing the Party and the Party's self-revolution. Since the 18th Party Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to the discipline inspection and supervision cadre corps, always placing great expectations and trust in them while setting strict requirements. For eleven consecutive years, he has made important deployments regarding the construction of this cadre corps at the CCDI plenary sessions, driving discipline inspection and supervision organs at all levels to strengthen their own construction in a strict and substantive manner, focusing on creating an "iron army" of discipline inspection and supervision that is loyal, clean, responsible, and possesses the courage and skill to engage in struggle.
The discipline inspection and supervision cadre corps must be loyal to the Party, shoulder heavy burdens, be brave enough to fight hard battles, be skilled in struggle, and always be at the forefront of the battles of attrition and protracted warfare. It is necessary to strengthen political construction, taking absolute loyalty to the Party and absolute political reliability as the primary requirements. They must remain clear-headed and determined, profoundly comprehend the decisive significance of the Two Establishments, strengthen the "Four Consciousnesses" [21], firm up the "Four Confidences" [22], and achieve the Two Upholds. It is necessary to strengthen capacity building and enhance the capability for struggle, earnestly intensifying the sense of historical mission and political responsibility to solve the unique challenges facing a large party [23]. They must continuously strengthen ideological tempering, political experience, practical exercise, and professional training; manifesting their concern for and responsibility to the Party through practical actions. They must resolutely struggle against all forms of negative corruption and "unhealthy winds" [24] that erode the Party's advanced nature and purity, ensuring the Party does not degenerate, change color, or lose its flavor.
It is necessary to strengthen the construction of integrity, integrating the concept of "simultaneously promoting the 'Three Non-corruptions'" (not daring, not able, and not wanting to be corrupt) into their own construction. In terms of Party spirit cultivation, awareness of discipline and law, development of work style, and moral standards, there should be higher benchmarks and stricter requirements. They must lead by example in strictly abiding by all Party disciplines, at no time indulging themselves, crossing lines, or overstepping boundaries [25]. They must build a solid ideological defense line against corruption and degeneration, maintain the political character of integrity, and strive to forge an "iron army" of discipline inspection and supervision that is upright, tough, and incorruptible, playing an important role in promoting the development of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party in depth and continuously opening new horizons for the Party's self-revolution.
(This article is a phased result of the Henan Provincial Philosophy and Social Science Planning Special Project for Research and Interpretation of the Spirit of the 20th Party Congress: "The Internal Logic and Implementation Path of the Two 'Always on the Road'" (2022DWT049))
(Author Biography: Li Zhendong is the Deputy Director of the General Office of the Discipline Inspection Committee of Xinyang Normal University and a PhD from Wuhan University of Technology)
Web Editor: Tongxin Source: Original from the Marxism Research Network (Marxism.org.cn)