The Communist Party of China is the vanguard of the Chinese working class, as well as the vanguard of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation. It is the leading core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, representing the requirements of the development of China’s advanced productive forces, the orientation of China’s advanced culture, and the fundamental interests of the broadest masses of the Chinese people. The Party’s highest ideal and ultimate goal is the realization of communism.

The Communist Party of China takes Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Important Thought of the Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as its guiding principles for action.

Marxism-Leninism reveals the laws governing the historical development of human society; its fundamental principles are correct and possess enduring vitality. The supreme ideal of communism pursued by the Chinese Communist Party can be realized only on the basis of the full development and advanced stage of socialist society. The development and improvement of the socialist system is a long-term historical process. By upholding the fundamental principles of Marxism-Leninism and following the path voluntarily chosen by the Chinese people—a path suited to China’s national conditions—the socialist cause in China will surely achieve ultimate victory.

The Chinese Communists, with Comrade Mao Zedong as their principal representative, combined the basic tenets of Marxism-Leninism with the concrete practices of the Chinese revolution, thereby giving birth to Mao Zedong Thought. Mao Zedong Thought is the application and development of Marxism-Leninism in China; it is a body of correct theoretical principles and a comprehensive summary of experience concerning the Chinese revolution and construction, proven by practice, and represents the collective wisdom of the Communist Party of China. Under the guidance of Mao Zedong Thought, the Communist Party of China led the people of all ethnic groups throughout the country in a long revolutionary struggle against imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucratic capitalism, ultimately achieving victory in the New Democratic Revolution and establishing the People’s Republic of China, a state of people’s democratic dictatorship. Following the founding of the People’s Republic, the Party successfully carried out socialist transformation, completed the transition from New Democracy to socialism, established the basic socialist system, and promoted the development of the socialist economy, politics, and culture.

Since the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee, the Chinese Communists with Comrade Deng Xiaoping as their principal representative have summed up both the positive and negative experiences since the founding of New China, liberated their minds, sought truth from facts, shifted the Party’s central task to economic development, implemented reform and opening up, and ushered in a new era in the development of the socialist cause. They have gradually formulated the guiding principles, policies, and strategies for building socialism with Chinese characteristics, clarified the fundamental issues concerning the construction, consolidation, and development of socialism in China, and thereby established Deng Xiaoping Theory. Deng Xiaoping Theory is the product of the combination of the basic tenets of Marxism-Leninism with the practice of contemporary China and the characteristics of our times; it is the inheritance and development of Mao Zedong Thought under new historical conditions; it marks a new stage in the development of Marxism in China; it is the Marxism of contemporary China; it is the crystallization of the collective wisdom of the Communist Party of China; and it continues to guide the cause of China’s socialist modernization forward.

Since the Fourth Plenary Session of the 13th CPC Central Committee, the Communists of China, with Comrade Jiang Zemin as their principal representative, have, in the course of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, deepened their understanding of what socialism is and how it should be built, as well as of what kind of Party we should build and how we should build it. They have accumulated new and invaluable experience in governing the Party and the country and formulated the important thought of the “Three Represents.” This thought represents both the inheritance and development of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, and Deng Xiaoping Theory; it reflects the new requirements imposed on the work of the Party and the state by developments and changes in the contemporary world and in China; it serves as a powerful theoretical weapon for strengthening and improving Party building and for advancing the self-improvement and development of socialism in our country; it is the crystallization of the collective wisdom of the Communist Party of China; and it is the guiding ideology that the Party must uphold over the long term. Consistently upholding the “Three Represents” is the very foundation of our Party’s existence, the basis of its governance, and the source of its strength.

Since the Sixteenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Communists of China, with Comrade Hu Jintao as their principal representative, have steadfastly upheld Deng Xiaoping Theory and the Important Thought of the Three Represents as their guiding principles. In light of new development requirements, they have deeply understood and provided definitive answers to major questions concerning the nature and approach of development in the new situation, thereby formulating the Scientific Outlook on Development, which puts people first and emphasizes comprehensive, coordinated, and sustainable development. The Scientific Outlook on Development is a scientific theory that both inherits the fine traditions of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, and the Important Thought of the Three Represents, and advances with the times; it is a concentrated embodiment of the Marxist worldview and methodology on development; it represents a major achievement in the sinicization of Marxism; it is the crystallization of the collective wisdom of the Communist Party of China; and it is the guiding ideology that must be adhered to over the long term in developing socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Communists of China with Comrade Xi Jinping as their principal representative have consistently integrated the basic tenets of Marxism with China’s specific realities and with China’s fine traditional culture. They have provided scientific answers to major questions of our times—such as what kind of socialism with Chinese characteristics we should uphold and develop in the new era, and how we should uphold and develop it—and thereby formulated Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era represents both the inheritance and development of Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of the Three Represents, and the Scientific Outlook on Development; it is contemporary Chinese Marxism and 21st-century Marxism; it embodies the quintessence of Chinese culture and the Chinese spirit in the present era; it is the crystallization of the Party and the people’s practical experience and collective wisdom; it is an important component of the theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics; and it serves as the action guide for the entire Party and all the Chinese people in their endeavor to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It must be upheld over the long term and continuously developed. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the Communist Party of China has led the people of all ethnic groups across the country in exercising overall leadership over the great struggle, the great project, the great cause, and the great dream, thus propelling socialism with Chinese characteristics into a new era, achieving the First Centenary Goal, and embarking on a new journey toward the Second Centenary Goal.

Since the launch of reform and opening-up, the fundamental reason for all our achievements and progress can be summed up as follows: we have blazed a path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, formulated a theoretical system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, established a system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and developed a culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics. All Party members must cherish all the more, steadfastly uphold over the long term, and continuously develop this path, this theoretical system, this system, and this culture that the Party has painstakingly pioneered; hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics; strengthen our confidence in the path, the theory, the system, and the culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics; carry forward the spirit of struggle and enhance our ability to engage in struggle; and fully implement the Party’s basic theory, basic line, and basic policy. In doing so, we will strive to accomplish the three historic tasks of advancing modernization, completing national reunification, and safeguarding world peace and promoting common development, as well as to achieve the Second Centenary Goal and realize the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Since its founding, the Communist Party of China has consistently regarded striving for the happiness of the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as its original aspiration and mission. Through a century of struggle, it has fundamentally transformed the future and destiny of the Chinese people, blazed the right path toward the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, demonstrated the powerful vitality of Marxism, profoundly influenced the course of world history, and forged a CPC that stands at the forefront of the times. Through long-term practice, the Party has accumulated invaluable historical experience: upholding the leadership of the Party; putting the people first; pursuing theoretical innovation; adhering to independence and self-reliance; following the Chinese path; embracing a global vision; fostering pioneering innovation; daring to struggle; consolidating the united front; and conducting self-revolution. This is the spiritual wealth jointly created by the Party and the people, which must be cherished all the more, upheld over the long term, and continuously enriched and developed in practice.

China is currently in, and will remain for a long time in, the primary stage of socialism. This is an indispensable historical phase in the endeavor to build socialist modernization in China, a country that was originally economically and culturally underdeveloped, and it will take more than a century to complete. The construction of socialism in China must be grounded in the country’s actual conditions and follow the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, so as to comprehensively advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-style modernization. At the present stage, the principal contradiction in Chinese society is between the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development. Owing to domestic factors and international influences, class struggle will continue to exist on a certain scale for a prolonged period and may even intensify under specific conditions; however, it is no longer the principal contradiction. The fundamental task of socialist construction in China is to further liberate and develop the productive forces, gradually achieve socialist modernization, and, to this end, reform those aspects and links in the relations of production and the superstructure that are no longer suited to the development of the productive forces. It is imperative to uphold and improve the basic economic system featuring public ownership as the mainstay and the common development of diverse forms of ownership, distribution according to work as the mainstay and the coexistence of multiple distribution methods, and the socialist market economy; to encourage some regions and some individuals to become prosperous first, thereby gradually realizing common prosperity for all the people; and, on the basis of productive development and the growth of social wealth, continuously meet the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life and promote well-rounded human development. Development is the top priority for our Party in governing the country and rejuvenating the nation. We must adhere to the people-centered philosophy of development, grasp the new stage of development, implement the new development philosophy of innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and shared development, accelerate the establishment of a new development pattern featuring the domestic circulation as the mainstay and the mutual promotion of domestic and international circulations, and promote high-quality development. In all our work, we must take as the overarching starting point and the ultimate criterion for evaluation whether it is conducive to developing the productive forces of socialist society, strengthening the overall national strength of the socialist state, and improving the living standards of the people; we must respect labor, knowledge, talent, and creativity, and ensure that development is for the people, relies on the people, and its fruits are shared by the people. We must, in accordance with the “five-sphere integrated plan” and the “four-pronged comprehensive strategy” for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, coordinate and advance economic development, political development, cultural development, social development, and ecological civilization development, and synergistically promote the comprehensive building of a modern socialist country, the comprehensive deepening of reform, the comprehensive law-based governance of the country, and the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party. On the new journey of the new era, the strategic goals for economic and social development are to basically achieve socialist modernization by 2035 and to build China into a great modern socialist country by the middle of this century.

The basic line of the Communist Party of China during the primary stage of socialism is: to lead and unite the people of all ethnic groups throughout the country, take economic development as the central task, uphold the Four Cardinal Principles, adhere to reform and opening up, rely on our own efforts, work hard and forge ahead, and strive to build China into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful.

In leading the socialist cause, the Communist Party of China must steadfastly place economic development at the center, with all other tasks subordinated to and serving this central task. It is essential to implement the strategies of rejuvenating the country through science, education, and talent; driving development through innovation; revitalizing rural areas; promoting balanced regional development; pursuing sustainable development; and integrating military and civilian sectors. We must fully harness the role of science and technology as the primary productive force, fully leverage talent as the primary resource, and fully exploit innovation as the primary driving force for development. Relying on scientific and technological progress, we will enhance the quality of the workforce and promote higher-quality, more efficient, fairer, more sustainable, and safer development of the national economy.

Upholding the four basic principles—namely, the socialist path, the people’s democratic dictatorship, the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and Marxism-Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought—is the very foundation of our nation. Throughout the entire process of socialist modernization, we must steadfastly adhere to these four basic principles and oppose bourgeois liberalization.

Upholding reform and opening up is the path to building a strong country. Only through reform and opening up can we develop China, develop socialism, and develop Marxism. We must comprehensively deepen reform, improve and develop the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and advance the modernization of China’s governance system and governance capacity. We need to fundamentally reform the economic system that constrains the development of productive forces and uphold and improve the socialist market economy; in tandem with this, we must carry out political institutional reform and reforms in other fields. We must adhere to the basic national policy of opening up to the outside world and draw on and learn from all the civilizational achievements created by human society. Reform and opening up should be characterized by bold exploration and pioneering spirit, by greater scientific rigor in reform decision-making, and by a stronger emphasis on the systematic, holistic, and coordinated nature of reform, so as to blaze new trails through practice.

The Communist Party of China leads the people in developing the socialist market economy. It unswervingly consolidates and develops the public sector while unswervingly encouraging, supporting, and guiding the development of the non-public sector. It gives full play to the decisive role of the market in resource allocation, better leverages the role of the government, and establishes a sound macroeconomic regulation system. It coordinates urban–rural development, regional development, economic and social development, harmonious development between humanity and nature, domestic development with opening-up, adjusts the economic structure, transforms the mode of economic development, and advances supply-side structural reform. It promotes the synchronized development of new industrialization, informatization, urbanization, and agricultural modernization, builds a new socialist countryside, follows a path of new industrialization with Chinese characteristics, and strives to build an innovative nation and a world leader in science and technology.

The Communist Party of China leads the people in developing socialist democracy. It upholds the organic unity of Party leadership, the people being the masters of the country, and law-based governance; follows the path of political development with Chinese characteristics and the path of rule of law with Chinese characteristics; expands socialist democracy; builds a socialist system of rule of law with Chinese characteristics; strives to build a socialist country under the rule of law; consolidates the people’s democratic dictatorship; and fosters socialist political civilization. It steadfastly upholds and improves the system of people’s congresses, the system of multi-party cooperation and political consultation under the leadership of the CPC, the system of regional ethnic autonomy, and the system of community-level mass self-governance. It develops whole-process people’s democracy that is broader, more extensive, and more robust; promotes the extensive, multilevel, and institutionalized development of consultative democracy; and effectively safeguards the people’s right to manage state and social affairs as well as economic and cultural undertakings. It respects and protects human rights, keeps channels open for public expression, and establishes and improves systems and procedures for democratic election, democratic consultation, democratic decision-making, democratic management, and democratic oversight. It refines the socialist system of laws with Chinese characteristics, strengthens law enforcement, and ensures that all aspects of state work are conducted in accordance with the law.

The Communist Party of China leads the people in developing advanced socialist culture, building socialist spiritual civilization, and integrating rule by law with rule by virtue. It seeks to raise the ideological and moral standards as well as the scientific and cultural literacy of the entire nation, thereby providing strong ideological guarantees, spiritual impetus, and intellectual support for reform and opening up and for the cause of socialist modernization, and striving to build a powerful socialist cultural country. We will strengthen the development of the socialist core value system, uphold Marxism as the guiding ideology, foster a common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics, promote the national spirit centered on patriotism and the contemporary spirit centered on reform and innovation, cultivate and practice socialist core values, advocate a socialist view of honor and disgrace, enhance the national spirit of self-respect, self-confidence, and self-reliance, resist the corrosive influence of decadent capitalist and feudal ideologies, eradicate all social evils, and endeavor to make the Chinese people a people who are idealistic, moral, cultured, and disciplined. Party members must be educated in the lofty communist ideal. We will vigorously develop education, science, and cultural undertakings, promote the creative transformation and innovative development of China’s fine traditional culture, inherit revolutionary culture, develop advanced socialist culture, and enhance the country’s cultural soft power. We will firmly grasp leadership over ideological work, continuously consolidate the guiding position of Marxism in the ideological sphere, and strengthen the common ideological foundation for the united struggle of the entire Party and the entire people.

The Communist Party of China leads the people in building a socialist harmonious society. In accordance with the overarching requirements of democracy and the rule of law, fairness and justice, integrity and friendliness, vitality, stability and order, and harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature, and guided by the principle of joint contribution and shared benefits, we will prioritize safeguarding and improving people’s livelihoods, effectively address the most pressing, most direct, and most practical interests of the people, ensure that the fruits of development benefit all the people more extensively and equitably, continuously enhance the people’s sense of gain, and strive to create a situation in which all members of society contribute their due share, receive what they deserve, and live in harmony with one another. We will strengthen and innovate social governance, rigorously distinguish between and properly handle the two fundamentally different types of contradictions—those between the enemy and the people and those among the people—and comprehensively advance public security and social order. We will resolutely combat, in accordance with the law, all criminal activities and criminals that endanger national security and interests or undermine social stability and economic development, thereby maintaining long-term social stability. We will uphold the holistic approach to national security, coordinate development with security, and steadfastly safeguard China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.

The Communist Party of China leads the people in building a socialist ecological civilization. It upholds the ecological civilization ethos of respecting, conforming to, and protecting nature; fosters the awareness that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets; adheres to the fundamental national policy of conserving resources and protecting the environment; follows the principle of giving priority to conservation, prioritizing protection, and relying mainly on natural restoration; and pursues a path of civilized development characterized by sound production, prosperous lives, and a healthy ecology. Efforts are focused on building a resource-conserving and environmentally friendly society, implementing the strictest possible system for ecological and environmental protection, and shaping spatial patterns, industrial structures, modes of production, and lifestyles that conserve resources and protect the environment—so as to create a favorable environment for people’s work and daily life and ensure the sustainable development of the Chinese nation.

The Communist Party of China upholds absolute leadership over the People’s Liberation Army and other people’s armed forces, implements Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military, and strengthens the building of the People’s Liberation Army by adhering to political leadership, reform-driven strengthening, science-and-technology-driven strengthening, talent-driven strengthening, and law-based governance. The goal is to build a people’s army that is under the Party’s command, capable of fighting and winning, and characterized by fine conduct, and to develop it into a world-class military. This ensures that the People’s Liberation Army effectively fulfills its missions and tasks in the new era and fully plays its role in consolidating national defense, safeguarding the motherland, and participating in socialist modernization.

The Communist Party of China upholds and develops socialist ethnic relations characterized by equality, solidarity, mutual assistance, and harmony; actively cultivates and selects cadres from ethnic minority groups; provides support for the economic, cultural, and social development of ethnic minorities and ethnic minority areas; strengthens the sense of community of the Chinese nation; and ensures that all ethnic groups strive together in unity and achieve common prosperity and development. The Party’s fundamental policy on religious work is comprehensively implemented, with efforts made to unite religious believers in contributing to economic and social development.

The Communist Party of China unites with workers, peasants, and intellectuals of all ethnic groups across the country, as well as with the democratic parties, non-affiliates, and patriotic forces of all ethnic groups, to further develop and strengthen the broadest patriotic united front composed of all socialist laborers, builders of the socialist cause, patriots who support socialism, and patriots who uphold national reunification and are committed to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It continuously strengthens the unity of the people of the whole country, including our compatriots in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Macao Special Administrative Region, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese. It comprehensively, accurately, and steadfastly implements the principle of “one country, two systems,” promotes the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macao, resolutely opposes and deters “Taiwan independence,” and accomplishes the great cause of national reunification.

The Communist Party of China upholds an independent foreign policy of peace, pursues the path of peaceful development, and adheres to an open strategy of mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. It coordinates the domestic and international contexts, actively develops external relations, and strives to create a favorable international environment for China’s reform, opening-up, and modernization. In international affairs, it champions the common values of all humanity—peace, development, equity, justice, democracy, and freedom—upholds a correct view of justice and interests, safeguards China’s independence and sovereignty, opposes hegemonism and power politics, maintains world peace, promotes human progress, advances the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, and works to foster a world of lasting peace, universal security, common prosperity, openness and inclusiveness, and cleanliness and beauty. On the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence—respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, non-aggression, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, and peaceful coexistence—the Party develops relations with all countries of the world. It continuously strengthens good-neighborly and friendly relations with neighboring countries and enhances solidarity and cooperation with other developing countries. Adhering to the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits, it advances the Belt and Road Initiative. In accordance with the principles of independence, self-reliance, complete equality, mutual respect, and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, the Party develops relations with communist parties and other political parties around the world.

To lead the people of all ethnic groups across the country in achieving the Second Centenary Goal and realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation, the Communist Party of China must closely center its work on the Party’s basic line, uphold and strengthen the Party’s overall leadership, adhere to the principle that the Party must govern itself and exercise full and rigorous self-governance, carry forward the great spirit of Party building—upholding truth and ideals, staying true to our original aspiration and shouldering our mission, fearlessly sacrificing ourselves and fighting bravely, remaining loyal to the Party and serving the people—and strengthen the Party’s capacity for long-term governance, as well as its advanced nature and purity. We must advance with a spirit of reform and innovation the new great project of Party building, taking the Party’s political development as the overarching principle and comprehensively promoting its political, ideological, organizational, conduct, and disciplinary development, integrating institutional development throughout these efforts, deepening the fight against corruption, and comprehensively raising the scientific level of Party building, so as to use great self-revolution to lead great social revolution. We must uphold the principle that the Party exists for the public good and governs for the people, carry forward the Party’s fine traditions and style of work, continuously enhance the Party’s leadership and governance capabilities, strengthen its ability to resist corruption and degeneration and to guard against risks, constantly reinforce its capacity for self-purification, self-improvement, self-innovation, and self-enhancement, continually consolidate the Party’s class basis and expand its mass base, and steadily boost the Party’s creativity, cohesion, and combat effectiveness. We must build a Marxist ruling party that is learning-oriented, service-oriented, and innovation-oriented, ensuring that our Party always stays at the forefront of the times and serves as the strong core leading the people of the whole country to advance steadily along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The building of the Party must resolutely meet the following six basic requirements:

First, we must unswervingly uphold the Party’s basic line. The entire Party must use Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Important Thought of the Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and the Party’s basic line to achieve unity of thought and action, and we must adhere to this unity steadfastly and over the long term. It is imperative to integrate reform and opening up with the Four Cardinal Principles, fully implement the Party’s basic line, oppose all erroneous tendencies—both “left” and right—and remain vigilant against the right while focusing primarily on guarding against the “left.” We must enhance our political discernment, political comprehension, and political execution, and strengthen our conscious commitment to and firm resolve in implementing the Party’s theories, lines, principles, and policies.

Second, we must steadfastly emancipate our minds, seek truth from facts, keep pace with the times, and pursue truth and pragmatism. The Party’s ideological line is to proceed from actual conditions in all matters, to integrate theory with practice, to seek truth from facts, and to test and develop truth in practice. The entire Party must adhere to this ideological line, actively explore new approaches, conduct bold experiments, pioneer and innovate, carry out our work in a creative manner, continuously study new situations, draw lessons from new experiences, and resolve new problems, thereby enriching and developing Marxism through practice and advancing the sinicization and contemporary adaptation of Marxism.

Third, we must steadfastly uphold the Party’s organizational line for the new era. We will comprehensively implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, with a focus on building and improving the Party’s organizational system; we will make concerted efforts to cultivate high-caliber cadres who are loyal, clean, and responsible; we will work vigorously to attract and bring together outstanding talents from all sectors who are patriotic and dedicated; and we will adhere to the principle of both moral integrity and competence, giving priority to moral integrity, and selecting people solely on the basis of merit. In doing so, we will provide strong organizational guarantees for upholding and strengthening the Party’s overall leadership and for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. The entire Party must enhance the political and organizational functions of Party organizations, cultivate and select good cadres needed by the Party and the people, train and foster a large number of successors to the socialist cause who are capable of shouldering the heavy responsibilities of our times, and draw on talent from across the globe to put it to good use—thereby ensuring, through organizational means, the thorough implementation of the Party’s basic theory, basic line, and basic policy.

Fourth, we must steadfastly serve the people wholeheartedly. The Party has no interests of its own apart from those of the working class and the broadest masses of the people. At all times, the Party puts the interests of the masses first, shares their joys and sorrows, maintains the closest possible ties with them, and ensures that power is exercised for the people, feelings are directed toward the people, and benefits are pursued in the interests of the people. No Party member is permitted to become detached from the masses or to place himself above them. The Party’s greatest political advantage lies in its close ties with the masses; the greatest danger it faces after coming to power is precisely becoming detached from the masses. Issues of Party style and the Party’s relationship with the masses are matters of life and death for the Party. In its work, the Party implements the mass line: everything for the masses, everything依靠the masses; drawing from the masses and returning to the masses—thus transforming the Party’s correct propositions into the conscious actions of the masses.

Fifth, we must uphold democratic centralism. Democratic centralism is the combination of centralized leadership based on democracy and democracy under centralized guidance. It is both the Party’s fundamental organizational principle and the application of the mass line in the Party’s life. We must fully promote intra-Party democracy, respect the principal status of Party members, safeguard their democratic rights, and bring into full play the enthusiasm and creativity of Party organizations at all levels and the broad ranks of Party members. We must practice correct centralization, firmly establish political awareness, overall awareness, core awareness, and alignment awareness, unswervingly uphold the authority of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and its centralized, unified leadership, ensure the unity and solidarity of the entire Party and its consistent action, and guarantee the swift and effective implementation of the Party’s decisions. We must strengthen and standardize intra-Party political life, enhance its political nature, contemporary relevance, principled stance, and combativeness, develop a positive and healthy intra-Party political culture, and foster a sound political environment characterized by integrity and uprightness. In its own political life, the Party must conduct criticism and self-criticism in a proper manner, engage in ideological struggle on matters of principle, uphold the truth, and correct errors. We should strive to create a political situation that features both centralized leadership and democracy, both discipline and freedom, and both unified will and individual satisfaction, vitality, and dynamism.

Sixth, we must steadfastly enforce strict Party self-governance. The comprehensive and rigorous governance of the Party is an ongoing endeavor, as is the Party’s self-revolution. Under the new circumstances, the Party faces long-term, complex, and grave tests in governing, in reform and opening up, in the market economy, and in the external environment; meanwhile, the dangers of spiritual complacency, insufficient competence, detachment from the masses, and negative corruption have become even more acute and are squarely before the entire Party. We must apply stringent standards and rigorous measures throughout every aspect and stage of Party governance and self-governance. We must uphold rule-based Party governance and address both symptoms and root causes, continuously improve the system of internal Party regulations, place discipline front and center, strengthen organizational and disciplinary rigor, and ensure that all Party members are equal before Party discipline. We must reinforce the principal responsibility and supervisory responsibility for comprehensive and rigorous Party self-governance, intensify oversight over Party leadership bodies and leading Party members—especially principal leaders—and continually refine the intra-Party oversight system. We must deepen efforts to promote clean government and combat corruption, adopt a zero-tolerance approach to punishing corruption, and advance simultaneously the goals of ensuring that no one dares to be corrupt, no one is able to be corrupt, and no one wishes to be corrupt.

The leadership of the Communist Party of China is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the greatest strength of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics; the Party is the highest political leading force. In Party, government, military, civilian, and academic circles—across the country, from east to west and from north to south—the Party leads all. The Party must adapt to the requirements of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, uphold scientific, democratic, and law-based governance, and strengthen and improve its leadership. In accordance with the principle of exercising overall leadership and coordinating all parties, the Party must play a central leadership role in all organizations at the same level. The Party must concentrate on leading economic development, mobilize and coordinate forces from all sectors, unite as one, focus work around economic development, and promote all-round economic and social development. The Party must make democratic and scientific decisions, formulate and implement correct lines, principles, and policies, carry out sound organizational work and publicity and education, and bring into full play the vanguard and exemplary role of all Party members. The Party must operate within the bounds of the Constitution and the law. It must ensure that the state’s legislative, judicial, administrative, and supervisory organs, as well as economic and cultural organizations and people’s groups, perform their duties proactively, independently, responsibly, and in coordinated fashion. The Party must strengthen its leadership over mass organizations such as trade unions, the Communist Youth League, and the All-China Women’s Federation, so that these organizations maintain and enhance their political nature, advanced character, and mass base and fully exert their functions. The Party must adapt to evolving circumstances and changing conditions, improve the leadership system, refine the methods of leadership, and enhance its governing capacity. Communist Party members must work closely with non-Party masses and jointly strive to build socialism with Chinese characteristics.