Gao Xiang: Exercising Full and Rigorous Governance over the Party to Mobilize and Consolidate the Great Historical Strength for National Rejuvenation

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized in the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC that "as we endeavor to build a modern socialist country in all respects and advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts, the key lies with the Party." He pointed out that "comprehensively and strictly governing the Party is the path the Party must take to maintain its vitality and succeed on the new journey to face new tests ^[1]." This major judgment is both a scientific summary of historical experience and a clear direction for our Party to win the future.

Reviewing the history of the international communist movement, it is not difficult to find that the purpose, nature, and mission of a Marxist party dictate that it must possess a high degree of organization and discipline. Without a unified will and iron discipline, a party is nothing but a heap of loose sand ^[2]; it cannot possess genuine combat effectiveness, nor can it organize the broad masses to work with one heart and one mind to strive for the realization of lofty ideals. As the world's largest Marxist governing party, our Party has traversed a centenary journey, possessing unparalleled historical experience, political wisdom, and formidable strength. Yet, it also faces an extremely urgent and complex development environment, arduous and heavy development tasks, and exceptionally severe risks and challenges. Only by maintaining the sobriety and resolve to solve the unique challenges facing a large party ^[3], unswervingly and comprehensively governing the Party with strictness, and deeply advancing the great new project of Party building in the New Era, can we stimulate and coalesce the majestic historical power of over 96 million Party members and more than 1.4 billion Chinese people to shoulder the glorious historical mission of leading national rejuvenation.

Comprehensively and strictly governing the Party is the valuable historical experience by which our Party wins victory; it is also the fundamental guarantee for building a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts.

The historical experience of human social development shows that the greater the cause, the more it depends on a strong and correct leadership force. A heap of loose sand is destined to achieve nothing, while a united people can move mountains and fill seas. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a New Era. General Secretary Xi Jinping has firmly grasped the new challenges, new tasks, and new requirements facing the Party in the New Era, delivering a series of important discourses on comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. By incorporating "comprehensively and strictly governing the Party" into the Four Comprehensives strategic layout and advancing the great new project of Party building in the New Era, he has opened new horizons for the self-revolution of a centenary party and new horizons for governing the Party and the country.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Our Party has remained full of vigor despite having undergone countless trials. A very important reason for this is that we have always insisted that the Party should supervise itself and be governed with strictness. We have continuously responded to the risks and tests faced in various historical periods, ensuring that our Party always stays at the forefront of the times in the historical process of profound changes in the world situation, and always remains the backbone ^[4] of the people throughout the historical process of responding to various domestic and foreign risks and challenges!" Under the strong leadership and strategic deployment of General Secretary Xi Jinping, the Communist Party of China in the New Era has conducted self-revolution with its blade turned inward, showing the determination to use "strong medicine for chronic ailments and heavy penalties for disorder," and the courage to "scrape the poison off the bone and amputate a limb to save the body ^[5]." Theoretical understanding of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party has deepened further, institutional mechanisms have been further improved, and the Party's capacity for self-purification, self-perfection, self-renewal, and self-improvement has been significantly enhanced. The situation of "lax, weak, and soft" governance over the Party has been fundamentally reversed. Our Party has found the "second answer" to escaping the historical cycle of rise and fall ^[6]—namely, self-revolution. By leading social revolution through the Party's self-revolution, the landscape of both the Party and the country has been completely refreshed, becoming clean, upright, and full of vitality. It can be said that comprehensively and strictly governing the Party is the most distinctive theme of the CPC's efforts to strengthen Party building in the New Era, and the fundamental guarantee for the historic achievements and transformations in the cause of the Party and the country.

To make the country strong, we must first make the Party strong; only a strong Party can produce a strong nation. This is the basic law of contemporary Chinese history and the fundamental premise for winning the future. The 20th National Congress of the CPC mapped out a grand blueprint for building a great modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through Chinese-path modernization. To successfully realize this historical task, the key lies with the Party. Not for a single moment can we do without the Party’s strong leadership or the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party. Currently, our Party has over 96 million members and more than 4.9 million primary-level Party organizations; it exercises long-term governance in a large country of over 1.4 billion people and carries significant weight among the world's political parties. The status and influence of our Party dictate that the Party's own development concerns the success or failure of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, the destiny of the country, the future of the nation, the happiness of the people, and the noble cause of world peace and human development. "He who knows himself is discerning; he who conquers himself is mighty ^[7]." If our Party is to always retain the support of the people and lead them in working with one heart and mind toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, it must unswervingly advance the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party. We must build the Party well to ensure it never changes its nature, its conviction, or its character ^[8], ensuring the Party can withstand the test of all storms and always remain the strong leadership core in the historical process of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era.

The comprehensive and strict governance of the Party over the ten years of the New Era has been advanced systematically and deeply, achieving historic and path-breaking results and producing all-round, deep-seated impacts.

Comprehensively and strictly governing the Party is the basic experience of the great changes achieved in the ten years of the New Era and a defining feature of the governance of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. In the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping systematically summarized the measures taken, the achievements made, and the impact produced by the in-depth advancement of comprehensive and strict Party governance over the past decade. By unswervingly pursuing this course, we have corrected the heading of the cause of the Party and the country, coalesced the majestic power of unity and struggle, and led the great transformations of the New Era through the Party's own great transformation.

Comprehensively and strictly governing the Party in the New Era is first reflected in taking the Party's political building as the overarching principle for all Party building work. We have clarified the primary strategic position of political building, addressing the fundamental issues of Party governance in the New Era. General Secretary Xi Jinping deeply noted that "the Communist Party of China is the highest force for political leadership, and upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is the highest political principle." To uphold the Party's centralized and unified leadership, we must first be clear-cut about politics; this is the fundamental requirement for our Party as a Marxist party. Over the past decade, under the strong leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping, the Party's political building has been continuously strengthened. The political competence of all Party members—especially the ability to analyze and solve problems from a political perspective—has been significantly enhanced. Their capacity for political judgment, political understanding, and political execution has been continuously improved. This holds profound historical significance for guiding the whole Party to concentrate its wisdom and strength on the great cause of building a modern socialist country and ensuring that all undertakings of the Party and the state always advance in the right direction. Practice has repeatedly proven that political building is the "soul" and "foundation" of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. Only by mastering this "soul" and "foundation" can we truly drive the entire Party to deeply understand the decisive significance of the Two Establishments, strengthen the Four Consciousnesses, bolster the Four Confidences, and achieve the Two Upholds.

Comprehensively and strictly governing the Party in the New Era is profoundly reflected in the Party's ideological building. Ideological building is the foundational construction of the Party, and its fundamental task is to arm the whole Party with the Party's innovative theories. Our Party has always attached great importance to ideological building. In the practical process of revolution, construction, and reform, it has continuously advanced the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, founding Mao Zedong Thought, forming the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and founding Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is contemporary Chinese Marxism and 21st-century Marxism; it is the essence of Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit in this era, marking a new leap in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism. Since the 18th National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has kept "the country's most fundamental interests" ^[9] in mind, coordinating the strategic overall situation of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the profound changes unseen in a century in the world. It has consistently armed the whole Party with the latest achievements of Marxism’s Sinicization and modernization, transforming Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into a powerful force for firming up ideals, tempering Party spirit, guiding practice, and promoting work. It is precisely due to the internal support of ideological building that our Party was able to overcome dangerous shoals and turbulent waves during the ten-year journey of the New Era, truly becoming invincible and successful in every endeavor.

Comprehensively and strictly governing the Party in the New Era is significantly reflected in the building of the Party's conduct. Conduct building is an eternal theme for the Party, the core of which is maintaining the Party’s "flesh-and-blood ties" with the masses. Conduct is visible and tangible; its quality is most easily perceived by the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "As a Marxist governing party, we must possess both the power of truth and the power of personality; the power of truth is concentrated in our Party’s correct theories, while the power of personality is concentrated in our Party’s fine conduct." The Party’s conduct is the Party’s image; it concerns the support of the people and the life or death of the Party—it must not be neglected for a moment. Standing at the historical height of the development of the Party and the country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to conduct building. He began by formulating and implementing the Eight-Point Regulations of the Central Committee. Subsequently, the Party launched the Party's Mass Line Education and Practice Activity, the "Three Stricts and Three Honests" ^[10] special education, the "Two Studies and One Action" ^[11] learning program, the "Remaining True to our Original Aspiration and Founding Mission" theme education, and the Party history study and education program. We have persevered in implementing the spirit of the Eight-Point Regulations, focusing on the "key few" ^[12] to lead those below, continuously deepening the rectification of the Four Winds, with a focus on correcting formalism and bureaucratism. We have continuously strengthened the Party’s flesh-and-blood ties with the people, constantly deepened the mass base for the Party's governance, and successfully created a new situation for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized in the report to the 20th National Congress: "This country is its people; the people are the country. As the Communist Party of China has fought to establish and maintain its leadership over the country, it has in fact been fighting to earn and keep the people's support." This is a profound crystallization of the Party's purpose and mission, as well as an essential requirement for the building of the Party's conduct.

Comprehensively and strictly governing the Party in the New Era is clearly reflected in the Party's discipline building. Strict discipline is a salient feature and political advantage of our Party, and strengthening discipline building is the fundamental strategy for governing the Party with strictness. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that "in comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, the priority is to strengthen discipline building" and that we must "strengthen the Party's discipline building in an all-round way." Our Party is a Marxist party organized through revolutionary ideals and iron discipline. Tight organization and strict discipline were the sources of strength that enabled the Party to lead the people to revolutionary victory, and they remain an important guarantee for leading the people to realize national rejuvenation. Since the 18th National Congress, the Party has insisted that discipline is stricter than the law and that discipline comes before the law, placing discipline and rules at the forefront, strengthening political and organizational discipline, and driving all forms of discipline to become strictly enforced. The Party adheres to institutional Party governance and governing the Party according to regulations, taking the Party Constitution as the foundation and democratic centralism as the core, improving the system of internal Party regulations, and enhancing their authority and enforceability. Over the past decade, discipline building has achieved notable results, calibrating the benchmarks of thought, adjusting the rudder of behavior, and tightening the strings of conduct.

Comprehensively and strictly governing the Party in the New Era is prominently manifested in the unswerving fight against corruption, maintaining the integrated advancement of "not daring to be corrupt, not being able to be corrupt, and not wanting to be corrupt." General Secretary Xi Jinping cautioned the whole Party: "Corruption is the largest tumor harming the Party's vitality and combat effectiveness, and anti-corruption is the most thorough form of self-revolution. As long as the soil and conditions for corruption exist, the anti-corruption struggle cannot stop for a moment; we must always blow the bugle of the charge." Since the 18th National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has personally deployed and commanded an unprecedented anti-corruption struggle. With the sense of mission to "rather offend thousands than fail 1.4 billion," he has addressed chronic ailments through a multi-pronged approach of "striking tigers," "swatting flies," and "hunting foxes" ^[13]. The anti-corruption struggle has achieved an overwhelming victory and has been fully consolidated. The Party insists on both destruction and construction, addressing both symptoms and root causes. While deeply advancing the anti-corruption struggle and deepening international cooperation, it has promoted national anti-corruption legislation and strengthened the development of a culture of integrity in the New Era. We have realized the goal of "not daring," tightened the cage of "not being able," and built the dam of "not wanting," continuously educating and guiding Party members and officials to strengthen their conscious resolve not to be corrupt. The unremitting efforts of the anti-corruption struggle over the past decade have cleared the turbid and summoned the pure ^[14], inevitably leading to a political ecosystem that is clean and bright.

Comprehensively and strictly governing the Party is the path the Party must take to maintain its vitality and succeed on the new journey to face new tests.

We summarize history in order to better create the future. Looking ahead, the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party is a journey that never ends, and the Party's self-revolution is a journey that never ends. "Hardship and toil can rejuvenate a nation, while ease and pleasure can lead to its ruin ^[15]." Surveying the world today, it is not difficult to see: the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is unstoppable, but we must always be prepared to handle high winds, choppy waters, and even perilous storms. Building the Party well is the key and the foundation for us to win the future and realize our great dreams.

General Secretary Xi Jinping, in the report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC, made comprehensive deployments regarding the Party’s political building, ideological building, institutional building, and the anti-corruption struggle. In particular, he profoundly put forward the major judgment that comprehensively and strictly governing the Party is always on the road, and the Party's self-revolution is always on the road. "Always on the road" is a solemn political declaration and a strategic consideration based on the long-term development of the cause of the Party and the country; it fully demonstrates General Secretary Xi Jinping’s expansive political vision, far-reaching historical perspective, and profound dialectical thinking. Through comprehensively and strictly governing the Party since the 18th National Congress ^[16], we have solved many prominent problems within the Party, but the "four major tests" ^[17] and "four major risks" ^[18] facing the Party will exist for a long time. Furthermore, as the changes unseen in a century accelerate their evolution, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation, with increasing uncertain and unpredictable factors, and external containment and suppression could escalate at any time. The more severe the situation becomes, the less we can afford sentiments of relaxing, taking a breather, or "fatigue and war-weariness." We must persevere in promoting comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, strike deeper into the new great project of Party building in the New Era, and lead social revolution through the Party's self-revolution. Only by doing so can we ensure that our Party, in its future development, possesses sufficient wisdom, capability, and confidence to leap out of the historical cycle of "rapid rise and sudden collapse" ^[19], ensuring our cause remains evergreen and eternally invincible.

Facing the future, the fundamental aspect of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party is to strengthen Party leadership, ensuring our Party remains the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The history and practice we have traversed repeatedly reveal this truth: that without the strong leadership of the Party, the stability, development, and progress of China are out of the question. the more our cause develops in depth, the more we need to strengthen rather than weaken or deviate from the leadership of the Party. In strengthening Party leadership, the key is to strengthen the Party's political building. The primary task of the Party’s political building is to ensure that the entire Party obeys the Central Committee, upholds the CPC Central Committee’s authority and centralized, unified leadership, adheres well to the Two Establishments, and resolutely achieves the Two Upholds. The Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on the Major Achievements and Historical Experience of the Party over the Past Century pointed out: "The Party has established Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and defined the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This reflects the common will of the Party, the military, and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, and is of decisive significance for the cause of the Party and the country in the New Era and for the historical process of national rejuvenation." The historic achievements and historic transformations in the cause of the Party and the country in the New Era find their most fundamental factor in General Secretary Xi Jinping’s role at the helm and the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee. The Two Upholds constitute our Party’s most fundamental political discipline and political rules, as well as the most fundamental political requirement for Communist Party members. Only by resolutely achieving the Two Upholds can we ensure that the entire Party is unified in will and action, closely united around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, and build a solid political foundation for realizing the Second Centenary Goal ^[20] and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. "Engaging in politics" is not abstract, but concrete. Achieving the Two Upholds must be reflected in the action of implementing the CPC Central Committee’s decisions and deployments without deviation, continuously improving political judgment, political understanding, and political execution, and ensuring that we always maintain a high degree of consistency with the CPC Central Committee.

Facing the future, comprehensively and strictly governing the Party requires the comprehensive strengthening of the Party’s ideological building, persevering in using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to congeal the soul and forge the spirit, ensuring the Party achieves unity in thought, will, and action. The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC comprehensively implemented Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, summarizing its main content through the "Ten Clarifications," the "Fourteen Commitments," and the "Achievements in Thirteen Areas." Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is a scientific theory in constant development; as the times and practice progress, it achieves new richness and development by continuously answering the questions of China, the world, the people, and the times. There is no end to theoretical innovation, and even less of an end to theoretical study. Clarity in theory is the most thorough form of clarity; steadfastness in politics is the most fundamental form of steadfastness. We must consciously arm our minds with the Party’s theoretical innovations, continuously consolidate the foundation of theory, and build a firm dike of faith, responding to various risks and challenges on the road ahead with a high degree of ideological and theoretical unity and a faith as solid as a rock.

History provides food for thought, and the future inspires us to forge ahead. The grand cause engaged in by the Chinese Communists in the New Era is both unprecedented and concerns thousands of years to come. Let us unite closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, earnestly implement the strategic policy of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, promote the new great project of Party building in the New Era, and ensure our Party eternally guards its original aspiration and founding mission, maintains its youthful vitality, and always stands at the forefront of the times.