Criticism and self-criticism are a glorious tradition and fine style of our Party. They serve as a sharp weapon for strengthening the Party, curing its ills, and maintaining its health; they are also an important means of enhancing and standardizing political life within the Party. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that criticism and self-criticism must become a regular practice in Party life and an essential course for every Party member and cadre. How should we understand the significance of criticism and self-criticism? Why do we often find it difficult to engage in self-criticism, and even more challenging to conduct mutual criticism in actual work? And what specific approaches can we adopt to effectively carry out criticism and self-criticism?

As early as 1929, the resolution of the Gutian Conference explicitly stated: “Intra-party criticism is the weapon for strengthening the Party’s organization and enhancing its combat effectiveness.” During the Yan'an Rectification Campaign, the Party eliminated the negative influences of subjectivism, sectarianism, and the “Eight-Point Essay” style through conducting serious criticism and self-criticism, thus laying an important foundation for the Party’s unity and solidarity and for the victory of the revolution. At the Seventh National Congress of the Party, Comrade Mao Zedong emphasized that criticism and self-criticism are “the only effective means of resisting the erosion of various political dusts and political microorganisms on our comrades’ minds and on the very body of our Party.” Since the founding of New China, in every round of centralized education campaigns conducted by the Party, we have consistently stressed using criticism and self-criticism to promote style-building and drive the Party’s cause toward ever new victories. Since the Eighteenth National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee—with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core—has incorporated comprehensive and strict governance of the Party into the strategic layout of the “Four Comprehensives,” putting forward a series of new requirements and making new arrangements for carrying forward the fine tradition of criticism and self-criticism. The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee has taken the lead by setting an example, regularly convening democratic life meetings or special democratic life meetings, conducting self-examination and analyzing Party spirit in light of actual thoughts and work, and engaging in both criticism and self-criticism. In all aspects of Party building, we have fully utilized criticism and self-criticism—the Party’s sharp weapon—holding democratic life meetings effectively during centralized Party education and specifically scheduling segments dedicated to criticism and self-criticism, thereby powerfully driving the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party to deeper and more profound development.

At the same time, we must also recognize that in political life within the Party and in certain Party organizations, the issue of difficulty in conducting criticism still exists to varying degrees, primarily manifesting itself in the following aspects. First, it is difficult to proactively and actively carry out criticism. Such criticism tends to be merely a “prescribed action” organized at specific times and in particular settings, whereas timely, proactive criticism based on actual circumstances, real needs, and development requirements is insufficient. Within Party organizations and among Party members themselves, the intrinsic motivation for conducting criticism and self-criticism is lacking, leading to superficiality and mere formalism. Second, it is difficult to engage in candid and sincere criticism. More often, criticism comes from superiors toward subordinates, while criticism from subordinates toward superiors or among peers is relatively rare. Many criticisms remain polite and hesitant, lacking the openness, sincerity, and straightforwardness characteristic of “pouring one’s heart out.” Third, it is difficult to deliver sharp and incisive criticism. Criticism often stays at a superficial level, failing to address substantive issues; instead, it focuses on minor details while avoiding the more serious problems. Self-criticism, too, tends to skim the surface—addressing well-known issues extensively but saying little or nothing about those less obvious or unknown. Fourth, it is difficult to ensure that the outcomes of criticism are effectively implemented and yield tangible results. Criticism and self-criticism are forms of ideological struggle aimed at moving from intellectual awakening to behavioral transformation. Yet in some cases, despite holding criticism sessions, voicing opinions, and expressing attitudes, there is no noticeable improvement in organizational or individual behavior, and the shift from words to actions remains unfulfilled.

We know that an important criterion for determining whether a Party organization has developed a democratic style within its ranks, whether its political culture is healthy, and whether its political environment is pure lies in how well it conducts criticism and self-criticism. A Party organization that can engage in regular, frequent, and constructive criticism and self-criticism—and through such criticism and self-criticism achieve the goal of mutual assistance—can purify its internal atmosphere, enhance the quality of its members, and strengthen its organizational capacity, cohesion, and combat effectiveness. On the other hand, if a Party organization is unable to carry out genuine criticism and self-criticism, if internal problems are not openly addressed but instead concealed and glossed over, with members turning a blind eye or adopting non-organizational, improper, and behind-the-scenes methods of handling issues, the result can only be a disorganized, morally corrupt, and weak Party organization that struggles to fulfill its role as a solid fighting bastion. Thus, to foster a healthy intra-Party political culture, enhance the combat effectiveness of Party organizations at all levels, and safeguard the Party’s unity and solidarity, we must squarely address the challenge of making criticism easier and more effective.

To tackle the challenge of making criticism more effective, we must first conduct a thorough analysis of the underlying reasons behind this difficulty, so as to address the root causes appropriately. First, there are misconceptions in our understanding. Some comrades fail to recognize criticism and self-criticism as fine traditions and political advantages of our Party; they also fail to deeply appreciate the crucial role these practices play in correcting mistakes, building consensus, and driving work forward. Meanwhile, although other comrades rationally acknowledge the importance of criticism and self-criticism, deep down their thinking remains influenced by the erroneous historical approach of “fierce struggle and merciless crackdown,” leading them to adopt the opposite extreme—daring neither to criticize nor to engage in self-criticism at all. Still others set criticism against unity, believing that criticism damages harmony and hurts feelings, creates conflicts, undermines solidarity, and tarnishes the team’s image. As a result, they develop a mindset that it’s better to praise each other than to criticize, and preferable to cover up contradictions rather than expose them. Second, there are entanglements in personal interests. Some comrades weigh whether or not to engage in criticism based on their own personal gains and losses. Others fear losing their positions if they criticize their superiors, or losing votes if they criticize their colleagues. They remain silent when confronted with right and wrong, fail to stand firm on principled issues, and prefer to be “nice guys” who maintain harmonious relationships at all costs. Moreover, some leading cadres cannot tolerate critical feedback and retaliate against those who offer it—a situation that, to some extent, further exacerbates the difficulty of engaging in criticism. Third, there are gaps in the implementation of existing systems. The Party Constitution and a series of internal Party regulations and rules clearly define the norms and specific requirements for Party members’ engagement in criticism and self-criticism, providing a solid institutional foundation and legal safeguards for the normal conduct of criticism. Yet in reality, some Party members and cadres conspicuously shirk their responsibilities: they neither fulfill their political duty to engage in criticism nor actively exercise their legitimate right to supervise and criticize. As a result, these systems struggle to be truly implemented and achieve real effectiveness. To overcome the difficulty of conducting criticism effectively, we must focus squarely on the key challenges and attack them head-on, addressing at the root the factors that hinder and impede the effective practice of criticism.

Break the deadlock in criticism by addressing cognitive issues. To tackle the challenging issue of criticism, the first and foremost step is to shift our mindset and deeply recognize the profound significance of conducting criticism and self-criticism. On the one hand, we must resolutely dispel the erroneous notion that "criticism undermines unity," and foster a positive, mutually reinforcing dynamic between criticism and unity. Practice has shown that criticism and self-criticism have never weakened the Party’s unity; on the contrary, they have strengthened its cohesion. They have never strained relations among comrades; rather, they have made our bonds even closer. On the other hand, we need to reverse the perception that "criticism damages our image" and vigorously promote the right orientation of "welcoming criticism, accepting criticism, and growing through rectification and improvement," so that openly facing criticism and addressing shortcomings becomes a shared consensus.

Break the difficulty of criticism by fostering a healthy ecosystem. Whether or not we can earnestly carry out criticism and self-criticism is a true reflection of the health of the Party’s political environment. Therefore, to make good use of the weapon of criticism and self-criticism, we must continuously strengthen the building of the Party’s political culture, ensuring that regular criticism and self-criticism become a widespread practice. We must thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important remarks on the building of the Party’s political culture—especially regarding the conduct of criticism and self-criticism—and encourage Party members to courageously engage in such criticism and self-criticism. At the same time, we must ensure that Party criticism is conducted properly and prevent it from degenerating into mere formalism or personal vendettas. Criticism must be motivated by public-spiritedness, clearly distinguish right from wrong, and accurately discern truth from falsehood; we must absolutely avoid judging matters and people based on personal grudges, gains or losses, self-interest, or close or distant relationships. We must correct the tendencies toward liberalism and “good-personism” in Party life, thoroughly address issues such as the casualization, formalization, blandness, and vulgarity of Party political life, and reinforce the Party principles among Party organizations and members, thereby preserving the Party’s vigor, vitality, and sharpness.

Strengthen institutional practice to overcome the difficulty of criticism. Criticism and self-criticism are not only fine traditions of the Party but also effective institutional mechanisms. Party organizations at all levels are the main bodies responsible for organizing and conducting criticism and self-criticism. They must regard earnestly carrying out criticism and self-criticism as an important mechanism for fully leveraging the Party’s role as a fighting fortress. Such efforts should not merely remain at the level of simply implementing directives from higher authorities; rather, they must be closely aligned with the realities of organizational development and targeted at addressing specific problems within the organization. Institutional development is never a one-time fix. In the face of new situations and emerging challenges in Party building, we must summarize new experiences, adopt new approaches, and continuously refine the systems for conducting criticism and self-criticism, ensuring that this powerful weapon becomes ever sharper with continued use.

Leaders and cadres should set an example to overcome the difficulty of offering criticism. The attitude of leading cadres toward criticism and self-criticism, as well as their ability to organize and carry out such activities, directly affect the quality of criticism and self-criticism conducted by Party organizations at all levels. Leading cadres at all levels should proactively engage in thorough and effective criticism, achieving the desired effect of feeling embarrassed and sweating—thereby fostering a clean and upright political environment within the organization. They must humbly accept criticism from all quarters, refrain from retaliatory actions, and never “make life difficult” for comrades who offer critical feedback. Moreover, they should take the lead in conducting self-criticism, courageously assume responsibility, and avoid shifting blame onto others. By setting a good example and taking the initiative in conducting criticism and self-criticism, leading cadres at all levels will undoubtedly invigorate Party organizations at every level, inspiring them to strive forward with vigor and determination. Together, they will unite the vast number of Party members and the general public into a cohesive force, working in unison to advance toward the second centenary goal.