Zhang Hao and Wu Xiaobing: The Value Significance, Distinctive Advantages, and Implementation Paths of Strengthening the Party's Leadership over Reform
The Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Advancing Chinese-path Modernization (hereinafter referred to as the Resolution), adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, lists "upholding the Party’s overall leadership" as the primary principle for further comprehensively deepening reform. In his speech explaining the drafting of the Resolution, General Secretary Xi Jinping also emphasized "focusing on strengthening the Party's leadership over reform," clarifying that "the Party's leadership is the fundamental guarantee for further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese-path modernization." To study and implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, we must profoundly grasp the value significance, significant advantages, and implementation paths of strengthening the Party's leadership over reform. We must effectively integrate the Party's leadership throughout all aspects and the entire process of reform, ensuring that the cause of further comprehensively deepening reform continues to develop and achieve steady and long-term progress.
I. The Value Significance of Strengthening the Party’s Leadership over Reform
The key to managing China’s affairs well lies with the Party. The Party's leadership is both the essential characteristic of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the greatest advantage of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Further comprehensively deepening reform is conducted under the Party's leadership; specifically, the Party injects powerful certainty into the reform regarding whether to reform, where to reform, how to reform, and whom to rely upon for reform, providing a fundamental guarantee for the success of further comprehensively deepening reform. To uphold the Party's leadership over further comprehensively deepening reform, we must comprehensively grasp its value significance.
(1) Forging a strong leadership core for further comprehensively deepening reform
Whether in terms of horizontal coordination across various fields of work or the vertical whole-process of governance, the Party is the highest force of political leadership that leads everything. The most significant aspect of China’s national conditions is the leadership of the Communist Party of China; it is our "stabilizing anchor" [1] for overcoming all difficulties and risks. Regarding this, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The Party's leadership is the fundamental guarantee for doing all aspects of the Party and state's work well," as it facilitates political stability, economic development, ethnic unity, and social stability. For a country as large as ours, undergoing such a broad and profound social transformation as reform, it is unimaginable to proceed without the Party's leadership; things would easily fall apart, and nothing could be accomplished. Only by adhering to the Party's leadership can reform maintain the correct direction and achieve success. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, faced with profound changes in the conditions of the times and the reality of the environment, as well as a series of new contradictions and challenges, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core—possessing great historical initiative and a strong sense of historical responsibility—has continuously promoted comprehensively deepening reform and opening up, treating it as the "critical move" that decides the fate of contemporary China. General Secretary Xi Jinping has personally taken charge, deliberating on major issues, grasping key tasks, and planning the overall situation. With extraordinary political courage, superior political wisdom, and a strong sense of mission, he has led the entire Party to break through barriers and tackle difficult problems, providing the strongest and most powerful leadership for further comprehensively deepening reform. Practice has shown that the more arduous and heavy the tasks or challenges, the more necessary it is to strengthen and improve the Party's leadership, ensuring that the Party's status as the leadership core remains unshakable. Further comprehensively deepening reform is a broad and profound social transformation; it is a comprehensive and systematic reform and improvement, requiring the linkage and integration of reforms across all fields. This complex systemic engineering involves a wider scope, touches deeper interests, and requires greater intensity of promotion. The task of coordinating the relationship between reform, development, and stability is heavier, demanding better adherence to the Party’s overall leadership. We must give full play to the greatest political advantage of the Party's overall leadership, strengthen the holistic planning and systematic layout of reform, focus on breaking through deep-seated institutional and mechanistic obstacles and structural contradictions, and ensure the steady and long-term progress of further comprehensively deepening reform.
(2) Providing scientific theoretical guidance for further comprehensively deepening reform
The Communist Party of China is a party guided by Marxism. Possessing and mastering the ideological weapon of scientific Marxist theory is our important "magic weapon" [2] for grasping historical initiative and subsequently seizing new and greater victories in further comprehensively deepening reform. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Why the Communist Party of China is capable, and why socialism with Chinese characteristics is good, is ultimately because Marxism works, and especially because Sinicized and modernized Marxism works." Looking back at the course of reform and opening up, we find that a key factor in our Party’s ability to lead China’s reform cause to world-renowned achievements—allowing our comprehensive national strength to grow and international status to steadily rise—is that the Party attaches great importance to ideological Party building and strengthening the Party through theory. This ensures the entire Party maintains unified thinking and a firm will, is capable of coordinated action, and possesses strong combat effectiveness. At its source, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era was summarized and refined based on the practical experience of comprehensively deepening reform. Once this scientific theoretical system was formed, it in turn played an important guiding role in leading the practice of reform in the New Era and solving various difficult problems. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the primary reason comprehensively deepening reform has progressed smoothly is the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. Since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping has personally led, deployed, and promoted the work of comprehensively deepening reform, scientifically summarizing historical experience, profoundly grasping the laws of reform, and applying the Marxist standpoint, viewpoint, and method to propose a series of important discourses. These fully answer major theoretical and practical questions such as why and how to comprehensively deepen reform in the New Era, becoming a powerful ideological weapon leading the cause of reform toward greater depth on the new journey. Currently, China's reform and development have entered a "storming-the-fortifications" period [3] and a "deep-water zone" [3]. To win advantages, initiative, and the future, we must always unswervingly adhere to Marxism as the foundation for the establishment and prosperity of the Party and the country. We must clearly hold high the ideological banner of Marxism, especially consciously arming our minds and guiding our practice with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and grasping and utilizing the power of truth contained within it to provide strong ideological impetus for further comprehensively deepening reform.
(3) Pointing out the correct forward direction for further comprehensively deepening reform
Reform does not mean changing direction, and transformation does not mean changing color [4]. Our reform and opening up have direction, standpoint, and principles. The fundamental goal lies in promoting the continuous development and improvement of our country's socialist system, imbuing it with new vigor and vitality. We must always adhere to the correct direction and move along the right path. The CPC possesses advanced nature and purity incomparable to other political organizations; theoretically, it always stands on the commanding heights of truth, and practically, it always stands on the commanding heights of the times. It profoundly perceives the general trends of historical development, remains firm in its lofty ideals and convictions, and has created and firmly adhered to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, leading reform and opening up to always forge ahead in the correct direction. The CPC is the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, playing a decisive role in initiating, promoting, grasping the direction, and realizing the values throughout all practices of reform and opening up; it is the fundamental guarantee for ensuring the correct direction of reform. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "On the issue of direction, our minds must be very clear." The "direction" here means always adhering to the socialist system rather than changing course [5]. He also emphasized: "We must not waver in the slightest regarding reform and opening up; the banner of reform and opening up must continue to be held high, and the correct direction of the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics must be firmly maintained. The whole Party must strengthen its confidence in reform and promote it with greater political courage, wisdom, and more effective measures and methods." These discourses indicate that the comprehensively deepening reform led by the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core is a reform that follows the socialist path, rather than any other path. This is the most fundamental direction, standpoint, and principle of comprehensively deepening reform, and it is the most correct path. Currently, the internal and external environments facing China's reform are becoming increasingly complex, with various ideologies and interest demands clashing with one another. Regarding the issue of direction, our attitude must remain firm. Only by unswervingly adhering to the Party's overall leadership can we ensure that further comprehensively deepening reform always maintains the correct direction; otherwise, it will veer off course. On questions such as "what banner to hold, what path to take, why to reform, for whom to reform, and how to reform," the Party remains firm and clear-headed. This ensures that all aspects of reform are conducive to the development and perfection of the socialist system, rather than taking the old road of closed rigidity, the evil road of "changing the flags and banners" [6], or the dead-end road of total Westernization, thus avoiding "subversive errors" [7] like those made by the Soviet Union, which collapsed socialism under the banner of reform.
(4) Anchoring the established struggle goals for further comprehensively deepening reform
Engels said: "A party that knows its aims and also knows how to reach them, a party that really wants to reach its aims and possesses the tenacity indispensable for doing so—such a party will be invincible." The Communist Party of China is precisely such a party, possessing both sublime faith and firm convictions as well as extraordinary strategic resolve and executive capacity. For over a hundred years, an important experience in our Party’s ability to overcome various difficulties and achieve victory after victory is its consistent adherence to the lofty ideal of achieving communism, scientifically planning and determining struggle goals for the periods of revolution, construction, and reform. Using these goals as a directional guide, the Party has rallied a powerful force of unity and striving, ensuring the steady development of the cause of the Party and the state. Goals are the direction, the guide, and the impetus. Adhering to the Party's leadership anchors the established struggle goals for further comprehensively deepening reform, leading the reform continuously forward. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Further comprehensively deepening reform must anchor the general goal of improving and developing the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and advancing the modernization of the state governance system and capacity." Since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee clearly defined this general goal, our Party has centered itself closely around it, comprehensively deepening reform with immense political courage, resolutely breaking down institutional and mechanistic defects in all aspects. The system of socialism with Chinese characteristics has become more mature and finalized, and the level of modernization of the state governance system and capacity has significantly improved, promoting the continuous development of various undertakings of the Party and the state. The Resolution adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee proposed that the general goal of further comprehensively deepening reform is to "continue to improve and develop the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and promote the modernization of the state governance system and capacity." Compared to the general goal proposed at the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, the word "continue" has been added. This signifies that further comprehensively deepening reform must still be anchored to this general goal. Adhering to the Party’s overall leadership can ensure that the entire Party and the people of the whole country anchor the general goal of further comprehensively deepening reform, promoting its continuous advancement along the correct direction. On the new journey in the New Era, further comprehensively deepening reform must firmly anchor the general goal and tasks under the Party's leadership without wavering, resolutely pushing the great cause of reform forward. Adhering to the Party's overall leadership can continuously enhance the foresight, predictability, guidance, and continuity of further comprehensively deepening reform, preventing and avoiding blindness, randomness, one-sidedness, and vacillation. At present, we must give full play to the greatest political advantage of the Party's overall leadership, strengthen holistic planning and systematic layout, focus on cracking deep-seated institutional obstacles and structural contradictions, and ensure further comprehensively deepening reform achieves steady and long-term progress toward its anchored goals.
(5) Resisting various risks and challenges for further comprehensively deepening reform
The Communist Party of China, by virtue of its incomparably strong leadership...
...becoming the backbone of the Chinese people when facing all kinds of risks and challenges. The Party's comprehensive leadership is the greatest certainty in the face of all uncertainty, and is the "calming needle" [8] for overcoming all risks and challenges. Looking back at the history of the modern era, without the leadership of the Party, our country and nation could not have risen up from setbacks and perils, nor could we possess the status we have today. The more we find ourselves at critical historical junctures and turning points, the more we must adhere to the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China; this is the fundamental basis upon which our Party triumphs over all risks and challenges. History fully proves that it is precisely under the leadership of the CPC that we have resisted one major risk after another, overcome one major challenge after another, and won the Great Struggles of different historical periods. To resist the risks and challenges that arise during reform, we must likewise adhere to the Party's leadership. As long as we persist in the Party's leadership, we will surely be able to resolve the risks and challenges appearing in the process of further comprehensively deepening reform, driving the cause of further comprehensively deepening reform from victory to new victory!
Since the 18th National Congress [9], the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has actively responded to challenges brought by the shackles of traditional ideas, the barriers of entrenched interests, and the defects of systems and mechanisms. It has "gnawed on many hard bones" and ventured through many "dangerous rapids and shoals," [10] pushing reform to exert force across the board, achieve breakthroughs at multiple points, and advance into the depths, thereby initiating a New Era of comprehensively deepening reform. Currently, China's reform has entered a "deep-water zone," and further comprehensively deepening reform faces many obstacles whose difficulty of resolution has significantly increased compared to the past. Not only that, but various specific reform tasks are mostly deeply interconnected and interwoven, such that "pulling one hair moves the whole body." Further comprehensively deepening reform will inevitably involve deep adjustments to the pattern of interests and fundamental changes to the institutional system; it will face unpredictable and inestimable risks and challenges. But history tells us that no matter what kind of risks and challenges we encounter, as long as we persist in and strengthen the Party's comprehensive leadership, we will surely be able to unite and lead the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups throughout the country to forge ahead and overcome difficulties through rich wisdom and powerful strength, ensuring that the great ship of further comprehensively deepening reform braves the wind and waves and sails steadily and far. In short, the more the reform advances in depth, the more acute and intense the risks, challenges, and towering waves encountered will become. To ensure that the ship of reform breaks the waves and continues along the correct course, we must fundamentally rely on the Party's comprehensive leadership.
(6) Consolidating a powerful force for progress to further comprehensively deepen reform
Only by always adhering to the principle of "for the people and relying on the people" can reform be meaningful and possess a continuous stream of momentum. The people are the creators of history and the greatest source of confidence for our Party’s governance. Only by persisting in and strengthening the Party's comprehensive leadership, ensuring the consistent adherence to a people-centered approach, respecting the principal position of the people, and achieving a state where "the reform responds to what the people call for," can we maximize the pooling of the majestic power for further comprehensively deepening reform.
Persisting in the Party’s comprehensive leadership can effectively bring into play the Party’s strong political leadership, ideological guidance, mass organization, and social mobilization. It coordinates and organizes the strength of the entire Party and society to promote reform, creating a vivid situation where the vitality of reform and innovation bursts forth and flows out in abundance, as everyone works together and unites in struggle to achieve the goals of the New Era and create new historical achievements. Since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has always maintained that reform is the cause of hundreds of millions of people, emphasizing that we must respect the principal position of the people and rely closely on them to push further comprehensively deepening reform forward.
In practice, our Party adheres to the mass line, striving to ensure that the Party’s theories, lines, principles, and policies receive the understanding and support of the people. We insist that development is for the people, allowing the fruits of reform to benefit all people more equitably and extensively, constantly satisfying the people’s growing needs for a better life. We develop whole-process people's democracy, expanding the people's orderly political participation through enriched democratic channels and diverse democratic forms, encouraging and helping the people to better devote themselves to comprehensively deepening reform. We inspire the masses with the prospects of reform, effectively promoting harmonious relations between the political party, ethnic groups, religions, social strata, and compatriots at home and abroad, consolidating a powerful synergy to drive the development of the reform cause. Further comprehensively deepening reform will be a profound transformation involving the wide participation of hundreds of millions of people. Under the strong leadership of the Party, we must mobilize all positive factors that can be mobilized, unite all forces that can be united, and ensure that the whole Party is more unified ideologically, more united politically, and more consistent in action. The whole Party, the whole military, and the people of all ethnic groups throughout the country should "think in one place and exert effort in one direction," gathering the majestic strength of ten thousand hearts as one to advance reform. On the road ahead, as long as we consolidate a powerful force for progress under the Party’s strong leadership, there is no difficulty that cannot be overcome. By unswervingly upholding the supremacy of the people and always placing the people in the highest position in our hearts, we will surely gather a powerful force for further comprehensively deepening reform.
II. The Significant Advantages of Strengthening the Party's Leadership over Reform
The success of China’s reform cannot overlook the leadership advantages of the Communist Party of China. The CPC possesses incomparably strong leadership, a series of distinct characteristics, and unique advantages that enable it to lead the smooth advancement of further comprehensively deepening reform. Fully recognizing and deeply grasping the incomparable and significant advantages inherent in the CPC's leadership is of great theoretical and practical significance for further comprehensively deepening reform and advancing Chinese-path modernization.
(1) Significant political advantages
A political party is a political organization with a common political program, political line, and political goals. Initiative in politics is the most favorable form of initiative; once one falls into passivity, it is the most dangerous form of passivity. To speak politics with a clear-cut stand is a distinct character and advantage of our Party as a Marxist party. As the fundamental advantage of the Party, political advantage is a comprehensive reflection of a series of the Party's prominent political characteristics. The Party’s political advantage is both the favorable political condition and prominent political performance that distinguishes it from other parties, and the prerequisite for the formation of advantages in other aspects. The Party's leadership advantage is first and foremost manifested as a political advantage. The Party's political advantage is closely linked with and blended into the political advantages of the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, highlighting the Party's own advanced nature and the superiority of the socialist system.
Specifically, the Party's political advantage is prominently reflected in the firmness of its political mission, the correctness of its political direction, the strictness of its political discipline, and the excellence of its political ecosystem. The Party's political advantage ensures that we persist in the unity of lofty ideals and the programs of struggle for specific historical stages, always standing at the forefront of the times to lead the correct direction of Chinese social progress. Whether in times of prosperity or adversity, always remaining firm in lofty political ideals and political beliefs is also a great political advantage of our Party, which helps inspire the Party and the people to unite to overcome various difficulties and seize the great victory of further comprehensively deepening reform. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Speaking politics with a clear-cut stand and ensuring the unity and centralized, unified leadership of the Party are the lifeblood of the Party." For a long time, the Party has consciously integrated the principle of "speaking politics" into various specific tasks of reform, which not only allows the political efficacy contained within the Party’s political advantage to be released but also promotes the continuous development and improvement of long-term mechanisms for consolidating and deepening the Party’s political advantage. Further comprehensively deepening reform is a great transformation that breaks down institutional barriers, transforms mindsets, adjusts power structures, and touches upon the distribution of interests. It requires bringing the Party's political advantages into full play to ensure that the entire Party speaks politics with a clear-cut stand, deeply understands the decisive significance of the Two Establishments, strengthens the Four Consciousnesses, firms up the Four Confidences, and achieves the Two Upholds. We must resolutely follow the strategic deployments of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the Party Central Committee, anchoring ourselves to the general goals of the current stage, and ensuring that all reform tasks are connected from top to bottom, harmonized, and implemented on the ground.
(2) Significant theoretical advantages
The Communist Party of China adheres to ideological Party building and strengthening the Party through theory; it emphasizes guidance by scientific theory and is adept at theoretical innovation based on practice, making it a party with powerful theoretical advantages. For any political party, ideology and theory play a key role in "raising the flag and determining the direction." On the one hand, within the Party, ideological and theoretical construction must tell the whole Party what should be done and why; on the other hand, for the broad masses of the people, ideological and theoretical construction must be used to make them consciously follow the Party, thereby gathering the majestic strength to create great historical achievements.
Focusing on building the Party from an ideological perspective is a fine tradition and significant advantage of Marxist parties. History and practice have already proven that no matter how many bumps, twists, and hardships are experienced on the road ahead, our Party has been able to grow stronger over time, remain indomitable, and achieve accomplishments rarely seen in the world. An important reason for this is that the Party has always attached importance to ideological Party building and strengthening the Party through theory, giving full play to its unique advantages in the theoretical field. Engels once said that the proletarian party has a great merit, "which is to have a new scientific worldview as its theoretical foundation." This refers to Marxism, which correctly reveals the general laws governing the development of nature, human society, and human thought, providing a scientific worldview, historical outlook, epistemology, and methodology for humanity to understand the world, transform the world, and create a better life.
The CPC has always regarded Marxism as its fundamental guiding ideology for founding and strengthening both the Party and the country. It combines the basic principles of Marxism with China's specific realities and fine traditional Chinese culture, endowing it with new vitality. Thanks to this, the CPC is able to stand at the forefront of the times by virtue of its theoretical advancement, while also providing a powerful ideological weapon for further comprehensively deepening reform. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We persist in leading innovation in reform practice with innovation in ideological theory, and promoting the enrichment and development of ideological theory by summarizing practical experience." Further comprehensively deepening reform is a profound adjustment involving the overall situation. It is an all-round, deep-level, and fundamental change that cannot proceed without the guidance of scientific theory. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era was generated from practice and in turn guides practice, providing a fundamental basis for advancing the cause of reform. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s series of important expositions on comprehensively deepening reform constitute a scientific system with rich connotations and rigorous logic, possessing profound reason, academic depth, and philosophical insight. It has already guided the New Era’s comprehensively deepening reform to historical achievements and will certainly provide a powerful ideological weapon for further comprehensively deepening reform.
(3) Significant institutional advantages
"Governing the state and ordering the people begins with rectifying the system." [14] Institutional issues are fundamental, overall, stable, and long-term in nature; institutional advantage is the greatest advantage of a party and a country. The system of Party leadership occupies the commanding position among all types of systems and is the fundamental leadership system of our country. The system of Party leadership is a complete and connotation-rich systematic framework, mainly covering six areas: establishing the system for remaining true to our original aspiration and founding mission; improving various systems for resolutely upholding the authority of the CPC Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership; perfecting the system of the Party’s overall leadership; perfecting various systems for governing for the people and by relying on the people; perfecting the systems for improving the Party’s governing capacity and leadership level; and improving the system for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. These six aspects support and relate to one another, jointly constructing the grand edifice of the Party leadership system and serving as the fundamental institutional guarantee for upholding and strengthening the Party’s leadership over all work. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must strive to give play to the Party's leadership, which is the greatest systemic advantage, through institutional arrangements." [15] He also emphasized: "To smoothly advance all undertakings of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era, we must improve the systems and mechanisms for upholding the Party's leadership and better exert the greatest advantage of the Party's leadership." [16] The system of Party leadership clarifies key issues such as the leadership relations, subjects, and objects of our country’s political life; it is the "root" and "source" of our country's current institutional system, the "heart" and "engine" of the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity, and plays a role of "grasping the key link" [17] in further comprehensively deepening reform. Without the Party’s centralized and unified leadership, a situation of weakness, laxity, and each department acting on its own would emerge. This would not only make it impossible to achieve the expected goals of reform but could also lead to various serious consequences. The Party's centralized and unified leadership effectively ensures that the Party and the people "think in one direction and exert energy toward one goal," striving in unity toward the common goal of further comprehensively deepening reform, and preventing the phenomenon of "a group of dragons without a leader" [18] or "a heap of loose sand." Since the 18th Party Congress, the CPC Central Committee has placed the improvement of the Party leadership system in a prominent position, making a series of important institutional arrangements and major reform measures. This has better exerted the institutional advantages of the CPC's leadership and provided a strong guarantee for promoting the cause of comprehensively deepening reform in the New Era. Further comprehensively deepening reform involves all fields of economic and social development, as well as many major theoretical and practical issues. It requires the Party to coordinate and plan all aspects, levels, and elements of reform. We must firmly adhere to the system of Party leadership and give full play to the institutional advantages of the Party's leadership. We must ensure that "vertically it reaches the bottom, and horizontally it reaches the edge," [19] manifesting the institutional advantages of Party leadership in the entire process and all aspects of further comprehensively deepening reform. We must strengthen prospective thinking, global planning, strategic layout, and holistic advancement for reforms in various fields, enhancing the overall effectiveness of reform through overall coordination and working in the same direction.
(4) Distinct Organizational Advantages General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "The Party's strength comes from organization; organization can multiply strength." [20] He also pointed out: "The Party's overall leadership and all the Party's work must be realized through the Party’s strong organizational system." Since its founding, our Party has insisted on proceeding from reality, constantly optimizing its organizational structure, and building an organizational system with clear functions and a distinct division of labor. In practice, it has formed and perfected excellent and efficient operating mechanisms, powerful innovative and creative capabilities, decision-making execution power, and strict discipline and rules. This gives it an organizational advantage incomparable to any other political party in the world and demonstrates powerful combat effectiveness. Our Party implements the principle of democratic centralism, possesses strong organizational mobilization capabilities and cohesion, and is characterized by a high degree of organization and high executive efficiency, enabling it to effectively respond to contradictions, challenges, risks, and resistance arising in the process of comprehensively deepening reform. The founding and development of the Party reflect its displacement to the important principle of Party building that Marxist parties have always valued—the emphasis on organizational construction. It has formed a rigorous system including central, local, and primary-level organizations, shaping an organizational form that is connected from top to bottom and integrated as one, making the whole Party a unified whole striving for a common goal. The CPC selects the virtuous and appoints the capable, focusing on improving the governing skills and leadership levels of leading cadres, thereby preparing a sufficient subjective force for long-term governance. Through continuous efforts, the Party has successfully gathered a large number of advanced elements and outstanding talents from all sides, which has become an important political foundation for our society's strong cohesion and developmental vitality. Since the 18th Party Congress, a very important experience in achieving historical successes in comprehensively deepening reform is that our Party possesses distinct organizational advantages. This is manifested in the fact that our Party has an organizational system that connects the higher and lower levels and executes forcefully; a group of outstanding Party members and cadres who can step forward in the face of difficulties and hold their ground at critical moments; and a large-scale, high-quality talent team with a constantly optimized structure and an increasingly prominent role. Further comprehensively deepening reform requires the implementation of the Party's organizational line for the New Era and the standards for "good cadres," resolutely implementing the Party's principle of democratic centralism, "enhancing the endogenous momentum and cohesion of Party organizations," perfecting the organizational system that connects top and bottom with forceful execution, and establishing a clear orientation toward strengthening primary-level construction to promote the overall progress and strength of Party organizations at all levels. Only in this way can we provide a strong organizational guarantee and talent support for further comprehensively deepening reform.
(5) Distinct Mass Advantages General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Our Party's greatest political advantage is its close ties with the masses, while the greatest danger after coming to power is being divorced from the masses." [21] The future and destiny of a political party or a regime ultimately depend on the support of the people. Maintaining close ties between the Party and the masses, and between cadres and the masses, and maintaining a "flesh-and-blood connection" with the people, is the foundation of our Party's continuous growth and development. For a long time, the CPC has always adhered to the fundamental position of the "supremacy of the people," standing on the moral high ground, winning the support and protection of the people, and demonstrating its prominent mass advantages. The CPC is a party that seeks happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. CPC members carry out revolution, construction, and reform, and promote the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation, all for the purpose of letting the people live a better life. Since the 18th Party Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has addressed shortcomings and weaknesses in people’s livelihoods from a new historical starting point, better solving the urgent, difficult, and anxious problems [22] of the masses at a higher level, and gradually enriching the people’s sense of gain, happiness, and security, creating an indestructible mass advantage for the CPC. Further comprehensively deepening reform is the people's cause; it likewise requires adhering to a people-centered approach, treating the people as the subjects of reform, respecting the people's pioneering spirit, paying attention to the interests and needs of the masses, responding to their interests and demands, and promptly solving various problems that violate the people's interests or affect their happiness. To respond to what the people call for and to act on what the people demand. The CPC always adheres to the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, regarding the maintenance of the people's interests as the starting point and foothold of all work in reform. It insists on implementing the mass line throughout all aspects and the entire process of comprehensively deepening reform, removing relevant institutional and mechanistic obstacles through deepening reform in a timely manner, and persisting in and promoting reform for the fundamental interests and beautiful life of the people. By ensuring that reform is for the people, relies on the people, and its fruits are shared by the people, it will surely win the heartfelt support of the broadest masses of the people, constituting a powerful engine for achieving great success in further comprehensively deepening reform.
(6) Distinct Advantage of Self-Revolution Having the courage for self-revolution is the most distinctive character and distinct advantage of the CPC, and it is the fundamental reason why the Party can unite and lead the people to overcome obstacles and deepen reform. Why does the CPC possess the distinct advantage of daring to engage in self-revolution? On the one hand, the Party adheres to the scientific guidance of Marxism, always persisting in pursuing, revealing, and practicing the truth, achieving the emancipation of the mind, seeking truth from facts, and advancing with the times, daring to correct its own deviations and mistakes, and daring to innovate and break through its own limitations. On the other hand, the Party always places the people in the highest position in its heart and has no special interests of its own other than the interests of the people. This determines that the Party not only possesses the initiative and self-awareness to solve problems and promote reform, but also possesses the courage and boldness to selflessly and fearlessly break through all obstacles and advance reform. General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly pointed out the need to "promote reform with the spirit of self-revolution," [23] emphasizing that in the process of comprehensively deepening reform, "we must consciously submit to and serve the overall situation of reform, have the courage for self-revolution, dare to face problems directly, and jointly do a good job on the great article of comprehensively deepening reform." [24] Only by being selfless can one be fearless, and only then can one engage in self-revolution and lead the great social revolution of comprehensively deepening reform. The selfless and fearless consciousness of the CPC and its initiative in self-revolution allow the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics to demonstrate unparalleled functions of self-adjustment, self-perfection, and self-improvement. This fully guarantees that various measures for further comprehensively deepening reform can be effectively implemented and solidly advanced, overcoming difficulties and breaking through interferences, so that reform continues to move forward and deepen. Facts have proven that it is precisely the spirit of daring to engage in self-revolution that enables the Party to maintain its advanced nature, thereby possessing the ability and will to respond to the aspirations of the people and write a new chapter in further comprehensively deepening reform.
III. The Implementation Path for Strengthening the Party’s Leadership Over Reform The Party’s leadership is the fundamental guarantee for further comprehensively deepening reform, and it concerns the direction, future, and success or failure of reform. To further comprehensively deepen reform on the new journey of the New Era, we must uphold and strengthen the Party’s overall leadership, integrating it throughout all aspects and the entire process of reform to ensure that the direction of reform is always correct, thereby creating a new situation for the development of the cause of reform.
(1) Adhering to the CPC Central Committee’s Centralized and Unified Leadership over Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform The affairs of the state depend on the center...
Centralized authority must reside with the Central Committee. The Party Central Committee is the brain and the hub of the Party, possessing the power of decision-making over the major principles and policies of the Party and the state. The centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is the solid foundation for the entire Party and the people of all ethnic groups across the country to face any risks and challenges. It ensures that the whole Party always maintains unity, solidarity, and strong combat effectiveness, thereby uniting and leading the people of all ethnic groups to overcome all difficulties and obstacles on the road ahead and continuously achieve one victory after another. If the Party Central Committee lacks authority, the Party will become like a heap of loose sand [25], the Party's leadership will become an empty phrase, and the great dream of national rejuvenation will become a mere fantasy. Maintaining the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is a major matter concerning the future and destiny of the Party, the nation, and the country; it is the highest political principle that must be upheld and must not be abandoned at any time or under any circumstances.
The practical experience of comprehensively deepening reform in the New Era fully demonstrates that it is precisely under the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee that significant results have been achieved. Institutional obstacles, mechanistic bottlenecks, and policy innovation issues in various fields and aspects have been effectively resolved, and the overall landscape of reform has achieved a systemic, coordinated, and historically transformative shift toward comprehensive deepening. Through long-term exploration and practice, especially the reform and innovation since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee has strengthened the overall design, overall coordination, and holistic promotion of reform. It has formed a set of institutional mechanisms for effective leadership over reform, such as the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau and the Political Bureau regularly studying and analyzing the economic and social situation and deciding on major matters, and the Central Commission for Comprehensively Deepening Reform [26] being responsible for the deployment and advancement of major work in the field of reform. These institutional mechanisms are grounded in reality and effective; they need to be maintained over the long term in the process of further comprehensively deepening reform and continuously improved while advancing with the times.
As reform and opening up develop in greater depth, various specific contradictions, problems, and tasks will become increasingly intertwined, overlapping, and complex. Consequently, it is necessary to strengthen top-level design and overall planning to provide directional guidance and a strategic framework for reform practice and exploration, avoiding blindness and fragmentation in reform. Firmly maintaining the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is conducive to unifying the thoughts, pace, and actions of the entire Party and country regarding reform. It helps local authorities steadily advance various reforms and implement the Party Central Committee's reform decisions and deployments without deviation. Only by firmly maintaining the authority of the Party Central Committee—adhering to the principle that the individual is subordinate to the organization, the minority is subordinate to the majority, the lower level is subordinate to the higher level, and the entire Party is subordinate to the Central Committee [27]—and by grasping reform implementation with the "nail-driving" spirit [28], can the strategic deployment for further comprehensively deepening reform be transformed into a practical force for changing the world. Only by strengthening the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee can we effectively resolve the interest relationships and coordination mechanisms between different subjects of reform, break down departmental barriers, systemically integrate reform resources, and form an overall synergy for further comprehensively deepening reform. This ensures the systemic integration and efficient execution of reform decisions and ensures the comprehensive layout and holistic promotion of reform across all fields, levels, and links. In the process of further comprehensively deepening reform, Party organizations at all levels must continue to resolutely maintain the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. They must translate the "Four Consciousnesses," the "Four Confidences," and the "Two Upholds" into action, and reflect the implementation of the Spirit of the Party Central Committee regarding further comprehensively deepening reform in the practice of making decisions, deploying tasks, and promoting work. They must constantly "check and align" [29] and timely calibrate deviations to ensure the solid advancement of reform.
(2) Improving the Implementation Mechanism for Major Decisions and Deployments of the Party Central Committee
Centering on the implementation of the major decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, the Central Committee and relevant departments have established and perfected a series of systems—including task allocation, supervision and inspection, reporting of conditions, and oversight and accountability. Combined with the strong guarantee of a rigorous organizational system, these ensure that the Central Committee's decisions and deployments are implemented seamlessly throughout the entire process. To further comprehensively deepen reform, various regions and departments must persist in adapting to local conditions and timing, researching and formulating reform implementation plans that suit their own realities. This ensures that reform measures are precise, effective, feasible, and operable, and effectively prevents the "mechanical copying" or "one-size-fits-all" [30] approach.
Reform agendas should be set around solving the prominent contradictions faced in advancing Chinese-path modernization. The generation mechanism for key reform plans should be optimized, ensuring that the proposal of reform topics is proactive yet steady and highly targeted, and that the launch of every key reform plan is fully demonstrated, scientific, and precise. It is necessary to act consciously within the framework of the overall situation, adhering to the principles that the local is subordinate to the whole and "small principles" are subordinate to "major principles." [31] We must earnestly fulfill the leadership responsibility for reforms within our scope of duty and strictly implement the system of requesting instructions from and reporting to the Party Central Committee. This ensures that the Central Committee’s major decisions and deployments are implemented in various regions, departments, and fields without fail, ensuring substantive results.
We must persist in the mass line—from the masses, to the masses—taking investigation and research as the foundation for planning work. We should earnestly absorb social expectations, the wisdom of the masses, expert opinions, and grassroots experience into the design of reform. We must focus on identifying the pressure points and breakthroughs of reform from the urgent needs and anxieties of the people. By promoting democracy and gathering collective wisdom, we can enhance the scientific nature of reform decision-making and the executive force of reform implementation. Throughout the process of reform deployment and implementation, we must vigorously promote the spirit of "upholding the truth and correcting errors," strengthen the evaluation of reform plans and the supervision of their implementation, discover problems in a timely manner, and correct deviations. We must constantly adjust and optimize reform plans to ensure that reform proceeds smoothly and achieves success. The greatest vitality for reform and innovation lies within the grassroots and the masses; we must respect and give play to the pioneering spirit of the localities, the grassroots, and the masses. On the premise of ensuring that the Party Central Committee's orders are carried out and its prohibitions respected, we should encourage different regions or departments to explore and innovate based on reality, launching experience that can be used for reference, making the reform more "grounded," and enhancing the people's sense of gain and identification.
(3) Giving Full Play to the Party's Core Leadership Role in Exercising Overall Command and Coordinating All Sides
Giving full play to the Party's core leadership role in exercising overall command and coordinating all sides is both a valuable experience accumulated by our Party in the long-term practice of revolution, construction, and reform, and an important observance for adhering to the Party's comprehensive leadership in further comprehensively deepening reform. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The leadership system in which the Party exercises overall command and coordinates all sides occupies a commanding position and is all-encompassing and all-penetrating. The National People's Congress, the government, the Political Consultative Conference, supervisory organs, judicial organs, procuratorial organs, people's organizations, enterprises, public institutions, social organizations, and the armed forces, under the unified leadership of the Party, each take their place, perform their duties, fulfill their responsibilities, and coordinate orderly, ensuring that the decrees of the central and local levels are unified, operation is smooth, execution is efficient, and the system is full of vitality."
Broadly speaking, "exercising overall command" emphasizes the Party's political status and positioning, while "coordinating all sides" emphasizes the Party's ideological and working methods. In summary, in the "grand chessboard" of the national governance system, the Party Central Committee is the "commander" sitting in the central tent. All levels and aspects, under the unified leadership of the Party, coordinate and work together—much like the pieces on a chessboard (chariots, horses, and cannons) each showing their strengths—keeping the overall situation of the "single game" clear. With a strong sense of mission, high political consciousness, and scientific ideological methods, the Party's leadership is integrated into all aspects and the entire process of further comprehensively deepening reform.
Further comprehensively deepening reform involves all aspects of the cause of the Party and the state; it is a profound transformation of the national governance system. The national governance system is a complex system composed of many parts, at the core of which is the CPC. All other levels of departments, enterprises, public institutions, or mass organizations must adhere to the Party's leadership. As the new round of reform enters the "deep-water zone," the complexity of contradictions has increased significantly, and the "hard bones" to gnaw [32] have multiplied. We must adhere to the Party's leadership over the further comprehensive deepening of reform, exercise the Party's core role, and improve the Party's methods of leadership and governance. We must continuously improve the Party's ability and resolve in its endeavors, ensuring the Party remains the most reliable "mainstay" [33] for all the people when storms hit. This ensures that reform advances in the right direction, gathering the majestic force to create new historical achievements with strong political cohesion and developmental confidence.
(4) Maintaining High Consciousness in Leading Social Revolution through the Party's Self-Revolution
For the CPC to effectively lead the great social revolution that is the further comprehensive deepening of reform, it must maintain a high state of consciousness in leading social revolution through the Party's self-revolution. It must always remain clear-headed and determined in solving the unique problems of a large party, promoting self-revolution, building the Party well, and creating a favorable internal political ecosystem for reform. This will mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the whole Party to grasp reform and promote development.
We must persist in using the spirit of reform and "strict standards" to manage and govern the Party, deepen the reform of the Party building system, and enhance its vitality. We must improve the system of norms for the Party's self-revolution to ensure the Party never changes its nature, its conviction, or its character [34], remaining the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We must more prominently apply the concept of governance, systemic perspectives, and dialectical thinking to manage and build the Party, taking effective measures to further perfect the system for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. We must strengthen the Party's armament with innovative theory, taking Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the fundamental guide. We must establish long-term mechanisms for "casting the soul through study, increasing wisdom through study, rectifying conduct through study, and promoting action through study," ensuring the Party becomes stronger and more vibrant through revolutionary forging.
We must also deepen the reform of the cadre and personnel system, clearly establishing an orientation that emphasizes practical work, actual performance, and taking responsibility. We must guide cadres to establish and practice a correct view of political achievements, comprehensively improving their capacity for modernization. Efforts should focus on building a cadre bridge that possesses high political sensitivity and judgment, the ability to deal with the practical problems of socialist modernization, and the capability to adapt to historical development and the requirements of the times. To adapt to new changes in tasks, we must strengthen the political and organizational functions of Party organizations, exploring effective ways to strengthen Party building in new economic organizations, new social organizations, and among people in new forms of employment. Finally, we must maintain a strict tone in strengthening conduct and discipline, perseveringly implementing the Spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations, resolutely opposing the Four Winds, and advancing the anti-corruption struggle. This aims to create a "clean and peaceful" [35] political ecosystem and a favorable environment for reform.
In conclusion, adhering to the Party's comprehensive leadership is the primary principle and fundamental guarantee for further comprehensively deepening reform. In the process, the CPC possesses significant political, theoretical, institutional, organizational, mass-based, and self-revolutionary advantages. Further comprehensively deepening reform must adhere to and strengthen the Party's comprehensive leadership, ensuring the Party remains the strong leadership core throughout the entire process.