Severely punishing issues involving the intertwining of unhealthy tendencies and corruption, and eradicating the common root causes underlying both, is an important task in the new era of comprehensively strengthening Party governance. At the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that we must deepen the integrated investigation and treatment of unhealthy tendencies and corruption. The communiqué of the plenary session proposed, “We should improve the mechanism for simultaneously investigating and addressing unhealthy tendencies and corruption, and make concerted efforts to further deepen the integrated approach to promoting upright conduct and combating corruption.” Deepening the integrated investigation and treatment of unhealthy tendencies and corruption reflects the Communist Party of China’s increasingly profound understanding of the regularities governing Party conduct and integrity building and the fight against corruption in the new era.

1. A Major Strategic Consideration for Forever Preserving the Health of the Party’s Organism

The simultaneous investigation and treatment of unhealthy tendencies and corruption stem from a profound understanding of the organic unity of the Marxist party’s Party spirit, Party style, and Party discipline. Unhealthy tendencies and corruption are not isolated or superficial issues; rather, they are deeply intertwined with the Party spirit, Party style, and Party discipline of a Marxist party. Party spirit is the essential attribute that distinguishes a political party from others; Party style is the external manifestation of Party spirit and is vital to the survival and vitality of the Party; and Party discipline serves as an important guarantee for maintaining the Party’s advanced nature and purity. For a Marxist party, Party spirit, Party style, and Party discipline have always been highly unified. A strong Party spirit, excellent Party style, and strict Party discipline have always been both the intrinsic requirements and the concentrated embodiment of Marxist party building. In July 1941, the “Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Strengthening Party Spirit” put forward clear requirements for Party members and cadres to enhance their Party spirit and strictly enforce discipline. From the Rectification Campaign during the Yan'an period, through the “Two Musts” before embarking on the “journey to Beijing,” to the “Three Anti-” campaign launched among government and Party officials shortly after the founding of New China, Chinese Communists have consistently placed Party spirit education and the building of Party style and discipline in a prominent position, accumulating valuable experience in the process of promoting these efforts in an integrated manner. The report to the 20th National Congress of the CPC proposed: “We must simultaneously uphold Party spirit, Party style, and Party discipline.” General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “Party spirit, Party style, and Party discipline constitute an organic whole—Party spirit is the foundation, Party style is its manifestation, and Party discipline is its safeguard.” This important statement profoundly clarifies the interrelationship and internal mechanisms among Party spirit, Party style, and Party discipline, further enriching the theoretical basis for the simultaneous investigation and treatment of unhealthy tendencies and corruption.

The simultaneous investigation and treatment of both misconduct and corruption represent a scientific summation of the practical experience gained in comprehensively enforcing strict Party governance in the new era. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has taken the formulation and implementation of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulations as its starting point, thus opening a new chapter in comprehensively enforcing strict Party governance. The Party has rigorously enforced its disciplinary rules and regulations, incorporated discipline-building into the overall framework of Party building, and regarded it as the fundamental approach to comprehensively enforcing strict Party governance. Moreover, an unprecedented anti-corruption campaign has been launched, achieving an overwhelming victory and firmly consolidating gains. At the meeting to summarize the first phase and deploy the second phase of the Party’s mass line education and practice activities, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, “We must tighten up discipline and rectify conduct.” During his inspection of naval organs, he stressed, “We must push forward the deepening of efforts to rectify conduct, enforce discipline, and combat corruption.” At the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, it was proposed to “improve the working mechanism for simultaneously investigating and addressing misconduct and corruption—both ‘investigating corruption through misconduct’ and ‘correcting misconduct through corruption.’” The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee incorporated “improving the mechanism for simultaneously investigating and addressing unhealthy tendencies and corruption issues” into its decision. Based on the practical experience gained in comprehensively enforcing strict Party governance in the new era—particularly in strengthening Party conduct and integrity and in the fight against corruption—our Party has continuously deepened its understanding of the underlying principles governing the anti-corruption struggle, making the mechanisms for combating corruption increasingly sophisticated and the measures ever more precise.

The simultaneous investigation and treatment of both misconduct and corruption is an inevitable requirement for advancing the Party’s self-revolution in greater depth. Since the advent of the new era, the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party has continued to deepen, effectively curbing longstanding unhealthy tendencies and addressing many chronic, long-standing problems that had long remained unresolved. The situation of laxity and weakness in Party governance has been fundamentally reversed, making the Party stronger and more resilient through its revolutionary forging. At the same time, we must clearly recognize that the fight against corruption must never turn back, never slacken, and never show any mercy—it must remain a constant call to action. The report to the 20th National Congress of the Party pointed out that “formalism and bureaucratic practices remain prominent; the task of eradicating the breeding grounds for corruption remains daunting, and so forth.” Thus, the Party’s conduct-building efforts still have a long way to go, and the struggle against corruption continues to be grave and complex. The soil and conditions conducive to corruption have yet to be completely eradicated, the political responsibility for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party has not been fully implemented, and the issue of misconduct and corruption intertwined still persists to some extent. Under the backdrop of comprehensive and strict governance and sustained high-pressure anti-corruption efforts, there are still individuals who fail to restrain themselves, refuse to stop their corrupt practices, and show no sign of ceasing their wrongdoing. Old problems have yet to be thoroughly eliminated, while new forms of corruption and hidden corruption pose fresh challenges. Faced with these new situations and challenges, it is increasingly difficult to address misconduct and corruption solely by tackling them separately. Hence, promoting the integrated and deeper advancement of rectifying conduct and combating corruption—simultaneously investigating and treating both misconduct and corruption—has become an imperative direction. We must adhere to “joint investigation” to severely punish issues involving the intertwining of misconduct and corruption, and adopt “joint governance” to eliminate the common root causes underlying both.

2. Continuously deepen our understanding of the regularities underlying the campaign against corruption and for upright governance.

The manifestations of unhealthy tendencies and corruption may differ, but in reality, they are two sides of the same coin—rooted in the same source and interconnected. Neglecting small matters will eventually undermine one’s moral integrity. If we fail to pay attention to issues of conduct and fail to be meticulous even in minor details, we risk losing our footing on major principles and ultimately causing the dam of integrity to crumble. Cases have shown that the corruption and moral decline of Party members and cadres often begin with problems in conduct—triggered by an inappropriate drinking session, an undeserved red envelope, or an unseemly gift. Over time, these minor deviations escalate into full-blown corruption, transforming quantitative changes into qualitative ones and leading down an irreversible path. Moreover, corrupt practices only serve to exacerbate the spread of unhealthy tendencies, seriously polluting the political environment. Whether it’s unhealthy tendencies or corrupt behavior, at their root, both stem from problems with the “master switch”—our ideals and convictions—and from distortions in our views on power, performance, and career. A single inch of laxity in thought can lead to a foot of deviation in action. Once our ideals and convictions falter and our Party principles are lost, we become vulnerable to unhealthy tendencies and corrupt practices, severely damaging the Party’s image and eroding its internal health.

“Investigate corruption through misconduct”—deeply probe the corruption issues lurking behind unhealthy work styles. Unhealthy work styles breed corruption, and many corrupt practices are precisely reflected in the “Four Winds” problems that carry traits of moral decay and degeneration. From the perspective of supervision and disciplinary enforcement practice, for many leading cadres suspected of violating discipline or law, the very first clue often points to improper conduct such as illegal dining and drinking. Some leading cadres illegally accept gifts and money; what appears to be mere social courtesy is actually a pretext for amassing wealth and suspected of facilitating the transfer of interests. Others enthusiastically participate in banquets, which may conceal hidden links of mutual interest, transactions between power and money, and other corrupt practices. Therefore, if we only address unhealthy work styles without investigating the underlying corruption, we’ll fail to get at the root cause of the problem. The approach of “investigating corruption through misconduct” aims to prevent “covering up corruption with superficial efforts,” tracing the threads to uncover the corrupt behaviors—such as soliciting favors, rent-seeking through power, and even forming political cliques, small circles, and interest groups—that lie hidden beneath these outward manifestations. This approach helps integrate efforts to rectify work styles, enforce discipline, and combat corruption.

“Address corruption by tackling its underlying conduct issues.” We must carefully examine the conduct problems that lie behind corrupt practices. Improper conduct serves as a “breeding ground” for corruption; corrupt behavior often arises from the cumulative effect of the “Four Winds”—gradual quantitative changes that eventually lead to qualitative transformation—and in turn, further fuels and exacerbates these improper tendencies. Some leading cadres, once mired in corruption, become even more reckless and abandon all restraint, indulging excessively in luxury and extravagance, engaging in serious misconduct, and even setting a bad example for those around them. Therefore, addressing corruption necessarily means tackling its underlying conduct problems. “Addressing corruption by tackling its underlying conduct” means closely scrutinizing the issues of hedonism and extravagance that lie behind corruption, using the fight against corruption to drive improvements in conduct. By investigating cases to identify and analyze patterns of misconduct, we can gain deep insights into the new manifestations and emerging trends of improper conduct within our region and field. This approach enables us to systematically and effectively eradicate persistent conduct problems, resolutely eliminating all factors that undermine the Party’s advanced nature and purity, ensuring that the Party remains unchanged in its essence, color, and character.

3. Investigate and address both corruption and misconduct related to wind (political atmosphere) simultaneously, fostering a political ecosystem characterized by integrity and righteousness.

We will rigorously address issues involving the intertwined phenomena of misconduct and corruption through “joint investigations.” The key to conducting “joint investigations” into misconduct and corruption lies in deeply grasping the characteristic that “misconduct can lead to corruption, and the two are inseparable,” thereby enhancing the systematic and coordinated nature of such joint investigations. By thoroughly probing and meticulously examining these cases, we will leave no room for the intertwined problems of misconduct and corruption to hide. We will persistently implement the spirit of the Central Committee’s Eight-Point Regulation with unwavering determination, maintaining strict standards, a firm attitude, and concrete measures to continuously promote the normalization and long-term effectiveness of conduct-building efforts. We must vigorously tackle hedonism and extravagance while deeply addressing formalism and bureaucratic practices to relieve burdens on the grassroots level. At the same time, we will focus on prominent issues such as violations committed in defiance of regulations and hidden, evolving forms of misconduct, promoting a combination of preventive oversight and comprehensive governance. We will adhere to the principle of investigating and punishing corruption and bribery without exception, relentlessly and tirelessly combating corruption. We will seriously investigate and prosecute corruption cases where political and economic issues are intertwined, resolutely root out corruption in key areas and major projects, and thoroughly uncover new and hidden forms of corrupt behavior. We will insist on investigating both bribery and corruption together—strengthening oversight of power held by leading cadres while also punishing those who repeatedly bribe officials, undermining local governance, and disrupting market order. We will comprehensively foster clean and healthy relationships between government and business. We will implement the requirements put forward at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, including the introduction of a law against cross-border corruption, expand and refine our anti-corruption toolkit, intensify efforts to combat cross-border corruption, enhance international cooperation in anti-corruption efforts, and weave an even tighter and more robust anti-corruption net, ensuring that corrupt elements have nowhere to hide.

Use “tongzhi” to eliminate the root causes of both corruption and misconduct. Strengthen Party spirit education. The root cause of the intertwined nature of corruption and misconduct lies in the fact that the “master switch”—our ideals and convictions—has not been tightened sufficiently. By probing into the deep-seated reasons behind the wavering ideals and convictions and the loss of Party principles among leading cadres, we can carry out more targeted education on Party spirit, Party conduct, and Party discipline; enhance the building of a culture of integrity for the new era; and fully leverage the nurturing and enlightening effects of China’s outstanding traditional culture, revolutionary culture, and advanced socialist culture. We must cultivate the “heart-learning” of Communist Party members in the new era, foster the moral integrity and self-discipline of Party members and cadres—especially leading cadres—and pay close attention to the building of family traditions, family education, and family ethos, setting a fine example of family values for Communists in the new era. Improve institutional mechanisms. Identify the systemic and mechanistic problems exposed by cases involving both corruption and misconduct, refine the working mechanism for jointly investigating and addressing such cases, actively explore multi-departmental joint supervision mechanisms for addressing the “Four Winds” issues, and strengthen timely early warning and oversight of situations where spouses, children, and their spouses of leading cadres engage in unauthorized business activities or run enterprises. Uphold strict disciplinary enforcement. Without strict discipline enforcement, it is impossible to achieve comprehensive and strict governance of the Party. To eliminate the common roots of corruption and misconduct, we must enforce discipline rigorously and impose severe punishments. We must resolutely break away from the atmosphere of unprincipled harmony and the practice of “good-personism,” dare to take a firm stand against violations of discipline and law, and effectively achieve strong deterrence through intensified prevention, high-pressure enforcement, and long-term intimidation.

We must integrate “investigation” and “treatment” to effectively stem the evolution of unhealthy tendencies and corruption. At the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping, while emphasizing strict enforcement of Party discipline, underscored the importance of "addressing issues early and at their smallest scale, and nipping unhealthy tendencies in the bud." To halt the evolution of unhealthy tendencies and corruption, we must maintain a rigorous tone and persistently enforce discipline and rectify conduct. On the one hand, we must promptly eliminate even the smallest signs of unhealthy tendencies. We should decisively put an end to nascent, emerging unhealthy trends—starting with something as seemingly minor as a bottle of alcohol, a pack of cigarettes, a single meal, or a gift card—thus promptly severing the chains that link unhealthy tendencies with corruption and preventing such tendencies from escalating into full-blown corruption. On the other hand, we must foster a healthy political environment—a broader, more positive atmosphere. We should promote the establishment of a mechanism for analyzing and assessing the political environment under the unified leadership of Party committees, coordinated by disciplinary inspection commissions, and supported by collaborative efforts among relevant departments. We must continuously address the negative impacts caused by unhealthy tendencies and corruption in specific regions and sectors, strengthen warning and educational campaigns, use cases to drive reform, treatment, and education, and resolutely eradicate the breeding grounds of corruption, thereby nurturing a clean and upright political environment. At the same time, we should leverage big data to enable simultaneous investigation and treatment of unhealthy tendencies and corruption. By fully integrating and making effective use of the vast amounts of data generated in the information age, we can accurately identify clues related to unhealthy tendencies and corruption, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of our efforts to investigate and treat these issues simultaneously.