The Communist Party of China (CPC) has been established for over a century and in power for over 70 years, with over 100 million members, making it the world’s largest governing political party. Under CPC leadership and in just a few decades, Chinese people have completed the industrialization process that took developed countries centuries, achieving “two miracles” of rapid economic development and long-term social stability.
How can a political party with over a century of history remain so vibrant? How can political party with over 100 million members maintain such close unity? The Party leadership’s “Eight-Point Rules” provides a key lens of observation for understanding CPC’s governance in the new era.
The “Eight-Point Rules” is planned, carried out and advanced by General Secretary Xi Jinping with a thorough spirit of self-revolution to eliminate chronic bureaucratic issues and cultivate a clean and upright political atmosphere. It sets strict requirements in eight areas, including: research and analysis, meetings and events, official documents and briefing papers, overseas working visits, security guard work, news report, publication of official writings and the promotion of frugality.
The “Eight-Point Rules” reflects the close ties between the Party and the people. The greatest political eminence of the CPC lies in its close ties with the people. The “Eight-Point Rules” targets at addressing the concerns of the people, eradicating the unhealthy practices that the people oppose the most, and fostering the upright atmosphere that the people eagerly await. Whether curbing food waste, or prohibiting the use of official vehicles for private purposes, or addressing formalism and bureaucracy, the CPC is strictly enforce the boundaries between public and private affairs and has achieved tangible results and changes, earning the trust and support of the people.
The “Eight-Point Rules” embodies the CPC’s commitment in self-reform. It’s not that the Party never makes mistakes, but it always actively engages in criticism and self-criticism, and has the courage to remove all elements that would harm the Party. There was a period in which the CPC failed to supervise Party organizations effectively or govern them with the necessary stringency. This resulted in a prevalence of privilege-seeking attitudes and corruption. The Central Committee started with the “Eight-Point Rules”, gave full play to the role of Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and worked to improve the Party’s style of work through a top-down approach. Whether it is the “big tigers” of high-level misconduct or the “little flies” of grassroots corruption, the CPC insists on investigating and punishing all cases of corruption, and has brought about historic transformation in China. The “Eight-Point Rules” has become a defining feature of the Party’s governance in the new era.
The “Eight-Point Rules” provides a valuable reference for strengthening institutional building in countries around the world. Party and government malfeasance is not unique to China. By addressing real problems and focusing on Party conduct, the “Eight-Point Rules” demonstrates the CPC’s unwavering commitment to full and rigorous self-governance and has resolved a number of prominent issues that have drawn strong public concern. Consequently, the Party’s leadership has become more robust and effective, and injected strong momentum into Chinese modernization. According to the survey conducted by the Harvard Ash Center, Chinese people’s satisfaction level of the CPC has reached 93.1%. If such achievements could be accomplished by China, so can Africa and other countries. The “Eight-Point Rules” is an important contribution of Chinese Governance philosophy to global governance, and have been widely praised by many world leaders.
As leaders of national development and policy makers, Chinese and African political parties shoulder the critical tasks of exploring and guiding development paths that suit their own conditions. Ghana has introduced the Code of Conduct for all political appointees and launched the “Operation Recover All Loot” (ORAL) anti-corruption agenda, dedicating in combating corruption and promoting the rule of law. Looking ahead, the CPC is willing to continue working closely with Ghana and Africa to strengthen the exchange of experience in governance, and forge a new type of party-to-party relations featuring seeking common grounds while transcending differences, mutual respect and mutual learning, so as to create a mighty force that enables us to build a community with a shared future for humanity.
