CPC leaders take lead in work styles campaign

BEIJING - Top Communist Party of China (CPC) leaders relayed criticisms and self-criticisms during a high-profile meeting that concluded Tuesday, setting examples for others in the Party's campaign to fight undesirable work styles.

The 25-member Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee held a special conference from June 22 to 25.

The meeting, an important part of the campaign to strengthen ties between Party members and the people, was presided over by General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping.

EXEMPLARY ROLE

The Political Bureau underscored the exemplary role top leaders could play by following through on their commitments, saying overcoming any difficulties will make the Party more powerful.

Political Bureau members should "implement the do's before asking others to do so, and certainly not do something themselves if they don't want others to do it," said a statement issued after the conference.

It is "a basic requirement" that the Political Bureau take a leadership role, according to the statement, which added that the Political Bureau should take the lead in improving the Party's work styles.

The Political Bureau warned of various risks and challenges the CPC faces.

Finding ways to push forward the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics and realize the Chinese dream of the nation's great rejuvenation is "a direct, constant and important test" of the Political Bureau's political wisdom, leadership and work styles, the statement said.

To make it through the test and pool the strength of all Chinese people to achieve these goals, the Political Bureau must be strict with itself and be a self-starter, it said.

The conference was held on the heels of last week's announcement that the CPC launched a year-long "thorough cleanup" of undesirable work styles such as formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance.

To form closer ties with the people, Party members are required to "look in the mirror, straighten their attire, take a bath and seek remedies," which means they should reflect on their own practices and correct any misbehavior.

EXISTING CAMPAIGN EFFECTIVE

In Tuesday's statement, the Political Bureau hailed the "eight-point" rules introduced by the new CPC leadership last year to fight bureaucracy and formalism as "effective."

During the just-concluded conference, Political Bureau members discussed measures to enhance efforts to improve their work styles. They also examined their own conduct to identify whether they comply with the rules for the fight against bureaucracy and formalism, which were introduced by the new CPC leadership late last year.

Political Bureau members have conscientiously and earnestly implemented the rules, and the move has been effective in terms of simplifying meetings and speeches, standardizing leaders' overseas visits, improving news coverage of leaders' work and exercising thrift, the statement said.

The rules have helped to curb pomp, ceremony, unnecessary meetings and extravagance, while also improving the Party's work styles and boosting the CPC's prestige, according to the statement.

The Political Bureau urged for the rules to be better carried out in the future, vowing "no exceptions" in the implementation of relevant regulations.

"Countermeasures aiming to dodge these rules should be resolutely rectified," the statement said.

The CPC will work to prevent officials from enjoying excess benefits by standardizing their welfare entitlement, according to the conference.

The conference ordered governments at all levels to standardize officials' entitlement to offices, housing, cars, secretaries, public receptions, guards, social benefits and vacations, ensuring that no one enjoys excess benefits and that no official gives or accepts gifts.

The conference also called for efforts to perfect the official performance evaluation system and let it drive changes in work styles.

Moreover, a promotion mechanism in which officials get promoted for good work styles, and warned or punished for work style misconduct, should be put into place.

The Political Bureau vowed to stop Party members from pulling strings to get themselves official positions or promotions.

The conference specified major aspects for revamping Party members' work styles, including boosting the efficiency of theory learning, article writing and meetings; controlling expenditures on official overseas visits, public vehicles and official receptions; preventing officials from extorting bribes and accepting high-end membership cards or prepaid cards.

Moreover, great efforts should also be made to scrap "face-lifting" projects, which were described as short-sighted projects undertaken for the sake of burnishing an official's credentials in a short time.

Efforts should also be made to cut back on unnecessary festivities, forums or international conferences, and to curb the construction of wasteful and grand government buildings.

 FUTURE PLANS

The CPC will, in the next stage, take measures and improve relevant rules to enhance the educational campaign on fighting undesirable work styles, according to the statement.

Xi Jinping also put forward a five-point requirement on strengthening Party-building efforts and improving the work of the Political Bureau during the conference.

Xi urged Political Bureau members to relay criticisms and self-criticisms to boost unity and do better work.

Criticisms and self-criticisms based on good intentions and facts are necessary within the Political Bureau, Xi told the meeting, adding that all members should be honest and open with each other, sum up their experiences and lessons and share their thoughts and ideas in order to help their peers, promote solidarity and do better work.

Members were ordered to correctly understand, and make their work comply with, the development of China and the world, and properly handle the affairs of the CPC and the state.

When elaborating on the requirement, Xi said members of the Political Bureau should grasp the main course of development for the world, which highlights peace, development, cooperation and mutual benefit, as well as that of China, which features prosperity, democracy, civilization and harmony.

Members of the Political Bureau should concentrate their efforts on issues concerning the long-term development of the Party and the state, as well as those related to the fundamental interests of the people, said Xi.

Such issues include the transformation of China's economic growth model, the advancement of the country's system of democracy and rule of law, the promotion of the core socialist values and enhanced welfare for the people.

Other major issues include China's social management, social stability, environmental protection, the consolidation of the CPC's ruling status, the improvement of the CPC's governance, the fight against corruption, national security, peace in the country's surrounding areas and the country's relations with major powers.

Xi asked members of the Political Bureau to make concerted efforts to serve the overall work of the Party and the state.

He also urged Political Bureau members to have open minds, disregard any selfish considerations, set benefiting the Chinese people as their unique goal and dedicate themselves to the interests of the Party and the people.

Political Bureau members should serve as models for others in forging appropriate concepts of power, status and interests, stick to self-respect, introspection, self-vigilance and self-motivation, abide by the Party's disciplines and the country's laws, and strictly follow systems and procedures, Xi added.

Xi also asked Political Bureau members to never stop boosting their ideological and political levels.

The priority for the Political Bureau is adhering to the appropriate political line, stance, orientation and path, which Xi said is also the cardinal task in securing the CPC's leadership and China's socialist system.

He asked members to "place ideological and political work at first place," and refer to the Marxist political outlook in self-examination, transformation and improvement.

Xi asked members to remain steadfast in their ideals and beliefs, and to strengthen their political acumen and judgement.

Members of the Political Bureau were also urged to correctly understand and firmly safeguard the overall situation of the CPC and the country, reform and development, social stability, the security of the CPC's leadership and the socialist regime, and the unity of the Party and the country.

Analysts have deemed the conference an opportunity for the CPC's top leadership to "look into the mirror and straighten their attire" together, as well as an assembly call for the Party's over 80 million members to improve their work styles.

Cai Xia, a professor with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said, "This conference is a gathering for a democratic exchange of ideas."

Themes discussed at the conference can be regarded as an upgraded version of the "eight-point" rules, and the conference took stock of progress made in implementing the rules, according to Cai.

Compared with the "eight-point" rules unveiled last year, the special conference went one step further by initiating a lasting mechanism for the campaign to improve work styles. It not only raised theories, but also moved to perfect relevant systems, Cai said.