“Theoretical cultivation is the core of the comprehensive quality of Party members and cadres. Theoretical maturity is the foundation for political maturity, and political steadfastness stems from theoretical clarity.” For Party members and cadres, fostering a fine academic ethos and strengthening theoretical education are both fundamental requirements for cultivating Party spirit and an inescapable political responsibility.

Tongfang Law Firm provides all its lawyers with learning opportunities in the form of micro-party classes, thereby enhancing their ideological and political awareness as well as their spirit of learning and inquiry. By establishing a long-term educational mechanism, the firm has created a new platform for self-education and self-improvement.

In the report to the 20th National Congress of the Party, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must uphold Party governance based on rules and regulations, taking the Party Constitution as the fundamental guide and democratic centralism as the core. We should continuously improve the Party’s internal regulatory system, enhance the authority and enforceability of these regulations, and establish mechanisms that uphold truth, correct errors, identify problems, and rectify deviations.” At the second plenary session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “We must ensure that institutional norms are fully integrated throughout the entire process, all aspects, and all levels of comprehensively strict Party governance. Taking the Party Constitution as the fundamental guide and democratic centralism as the core, we should continually refine the Party’s internal regulatory system, strengthen the authority and enforceability of these regulations, and use institutional frameworks to promote the seamless integration and coordinated operation of the comprehensive and strict Party governance system, thereby truly achieving Party governance based on rules and regulations.” As normative documents that constrain the behavior of Party organizations and members and govern Party governance, internal Party regulations play a foundational and safeguarding role in ensuring the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party. The disciplinary systems within these internal Party regulations are more stringent than those stipulated by national laws and regulations. The continuous improvement of the Party’s internal regulatory system—particularly the formulation and revision of a series of internal Party regulations such as the "Regulations on Disciplinary Actions of the Communist Party of China" (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations")—has provided crucial guarantees for strengthening comprehensive and strict Party governance and continuously enhancing the Party’s governing capacity and competence.

The system of Party regulations and rules serves as a powerful guarantee for governing and administering the Party. The “Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of Party Regulations and Rules,” issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (hereinafter referred to as the “Opinions”), is the first central document in the history of the Party specifically devoted to planning and promoting the construction of its internal regulatory framework. The “Opinions” state: “To govern the country, we must first govern the Party; to govern the Party rigorously, we must abide strictly by laws and regulations.” These “laws and regulations” primarily refer to the Party’s internal regulations and rules. In December 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered important instructions emphasizing: “We must give full play to the significant role of Party regulations in safeguarding the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, ensuring the Party’s long-term governance and the country’s enduring stability; in advancing the new great project of Party building in the new era and implementing comprehensive and strict governance of the Party; and in ensuring that the Party remains a strong and reliable leadership core throughout the historical process of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, thereby providing robust political guarantees for fully building a modern socialist country and realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” In 2021, the Sixth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee adopted the “Resolution of the CPC Central Committee on Major Achievements and Historical Experiences of the Party’s Centennial Struggle,” explicitly stating: “The Party adheres to governance according to regulations, strictly observes the Party Constitution, and has established a relatively complete system of Party regulations.” This marked the first time that achievements in the construction of Party regulations and rules were included in a historical resolution of the Party. As the institutional basis for governing and administering the Party, Party regulations and rules have established a comprehensive framework for Party building and a system of basic behavioral norms for Party organizations and members, laying a solid and reliable institutional foundation for comprehensively enforcing strict Party governance.

The Party’s disciplinary system is an important component of the Party’s regulatory framework. On October 8, 2014, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out at the concluding conference of the Party’s mass line education and practice campaign: “Having clear discipline to rely on is the prerequisite for enforcing strict discipline.” On January 13, 2015, during the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping delivered an important speech further elaborating: “Discipline is codified rules; some rules not explicitly listed in the discipline are unwritten disciplines. Discipline is rigid rules; some rules not explicitly listed in the discipline are self-imposed disciplines.” On January 9, 2023, at the Second Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “We have incorporated discipline building into the overall plan for Party building, adhered to the principle that discipline must be stricter than law and take precedence over law, strictly enforced the Party’s political discipline and political norms, and driven comprehensive and stringent enforcement of organizational discipline, integrity discipline, mass discipline, work discipline, and lifestyle discipline. We will use strict discipline to regulate the performance of duties and exercise of power by Party members and cadres, addressing issues early and small, and preventing minor problems from escalating.” The “Opinions” establish a basic “1+4” framework for the Party’s regulatory system, providing a comprehensive plan for strengthening the construction of Party regulations and systems. Among these, the Party’s disciplinary system is an essential component of the Party’s regulatory framework and serves as the guarantee of the binding force of Party regulations on the behavior of Party organizations and members. Without strict discipline and a robust disciplinary sanction system, Party regulations would lack the necessary coercive power in governing and administering the Party; violations of Party regulations could not be promptly and effectively corrected, and the various institutional requirements set forth by Party regulations for Party building would easily fail to be implemented in practice.

The Regulations are the fundamental Party regulations that underpin the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party. They were formulated in accordance with the Constitution of the Communist Party of China to safeguard the Party Constitution and other internal Party regulations, enforce Party discipline rigorously, purify Party organizations, protect the democratic rights of Party members, educate Party members to abide by laws and regulations, maintain the Party’s unity and solidarity, and ensure the effective implementation of the Party’s theories, lines, principles, policies, resolutions, as well as national laws and regulations. The Regulations serve as the basic rules for clarifying the Party’s disciplinary system and procedures for disciplinary sanctions. The current Regulations were reviewed and approved at the meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on December 23, 2003, and promulgated by the CPC Central Committee on December 31, 2003. Their predecessor was the “Regulations on Disciplinary Sanctions of the Communist Party of China (Trial)” issued on February 27, 1997. The Regulations issued in 2003 comprise a total of 178 articles and have played an important role in upholding the Party Constitution and other internal Party regulations and enforcing Party discipline strictly. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, as the situation has evolved, the Regulations have undergone three revisions. The newly revised Regulations issued in 2023 fully implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Party. Starting from the Party Constitution—the overarching source—these Regulations adhere to a strict tone, combine problem-oriented and goal-oriented approaches, keep pace with the times in perfecting disciplinary norms, further tighten political discipline and political rules, promote the comprehensive strengthening of all types of discipline, send a strong signal that discipline enforcement will only become stricter over time, and play a crucial role in addressing both symptoms and root causes through disciplinary construction. These Regulations provide robust disciplinary guarantees for comprehensively advancing the cause of building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization. In its six specific chapters, the Regulations list the violations or circumstances that warrant Party disciplinary sanctions, thereby establishing a comprehensive and meticulous disciplinary system and a robust framework for disciplinary sanctions and punishments, which basically meet all requirements for strengthening the Party’s comprehensive and strict governance.

Faithfully implementing the Regulations is an important measure for comprehensively enforcing strict Party governance. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “There can be no ambiguity whatsoever in enforcing Party discipline; we must not allow Party rules and regulations to become ‘paper tigers’ or ‘scarecrows,’ thus triggering a ‘broken-window effect.’ Any act that violates the Party Constitution and Party discipline—especially political discipline, organizational discipline, and financial discipline—must be firmly addressed and absolutely not tolerated.” In December 2023, the CPC Central Committee issued the revised Regulations and sent out a notice requiring all regions and departments to conscientiously comply with and implement them. The notice emphasized that “Party committees (Party groups) at all levels must shoulder their political responsibility for comprehensively enforcing strict Party governance, earnestly ensure the thorough implementation of the Regulations, and resolutely investigate and deal with every instance of violation of Party discipline, thereby effectively safeguarding the rigidity and seriousness of discipline. We must adhere to the integrated approach of strengthening Party spirit, Party conduct, and Party discipline, incorporate the Regulations into the mandatory training courses for Party members and cadres, and enhance their conscious compliance with rules and discipline.” At present and in the period ahead, Party organizations at all levels and all Party members must regard the serious study and effective implementation of the Regulations as a crucial “institutional lever” for elevating the level of Party governance according to rules, enhancing disciplinary awareness and awareness of Party regulations, and strengthening comprehensive and strict Party governance. When studying the Regulations, we must learn them exactly as written, in their original text, and combine this with specific cases and typical examples. We should also integrate learning with practical application, closely linking it to the daily work and behavior of Party organizations and members, so as to truly improve learning efficiency and practical application capabilities, ensuring that we gain something from our studies and put what we learn into practice, continuously enhancing the disciplinary awareness and rule-consciousness of the broad ranks of Party members.