Tongfang Academy
Micro Party Class · Issue 256
How should we study and carry out Party discipline education?
“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 style 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.
Launching Party discipline study and education across the entire Party is an important measure for strengthening Party discipline building and promoting the deepening of comprehensive and strict governance over the Party. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to discipline building, and the political nature, timeliness, and targeted approach of discipline building have continued to grow stronger. By carrying out Party discipline study and education, we can ensure that iron discipline truly becomes a daily habit and conscious practice for Party members and cadres.
Lay the theoretical foundation for compliance with rules and discipline by studying Xi Jinping’s Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
The cultivation of disciplined self-awareness is built upon a solid foundation of advanced political theory. A rational and self-conscious sense of discipline must necessarily be underpinned by the firm faith of Party members and cadres, and such firm faith cannot be sustained without continuous study of theory. Discipline education lacking the guidance of scientific ideological principles can only remain at the level of external “demands” and “constraints” imposed on Party members and cadres—a mere passive “obedience”—and thus finds it difficult to evolve into intrinsic, self-motivated behavior or to attain unwavering steadfastness. As we embark on a new journey toward fully building a modern socialist country, only when the entire Party achieves ideological unity and firm conviction can we lay the necessary preconditions and establish a solid foundation for organizational unity and action, thereby rallying powerful fighting strength.
Party discipline study and education should, on the basis of comprehensively and systematically studying Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, firmly focus on the objectives of such education, and continuously deepen Party-wide, especially among leading cadres, the study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. This will help Party members and officials consolidate their ideological foundations, replenish their spiritual calcium, and keep their ideological compass steady. It will also enable the entire Party to deeply grasp the decisive significance of the “Two Establishments,” and always remain firm believers and loyal practitioners of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. In party discipline study and education, we must center our efforts around the major contemporary questions of what kind of long-term ruling Marxist political party we should build and how we should build it. We should highlight the overarching theme of comprehensively enforcing strict Party governance, and thoroughly grasp the scientific system embodied in the “Thirteen Adherences.” We must delve deeply into General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thoughts on the Party’s self-revolution, focusing on key issues such as why our Party needs to carry out self-revolution, why it is capable of doing so, and how to advance it. We should accurately understand and implement the practical requirements of the “Nine ‘With’” for promoting self-revolution. We must also study Xi Jinping’s thought on the rule of law in depth, gaining a profound understanding that this thought is an essential component of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, serving as the fundamental guiding principle and action guide for comprehensively governing the country according to law in the new era. Furthermore, we must study thoroughly General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important remarks on Party discipline building, fully grasping the experiences and lessons learned by the Party Central Committee—with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core—in using discipline building as the fundamental approach to advancing comprehensive and strict Party governance, as well as the various requirements put forward by the Party Central Committee. This will help guide all Party members to cultivate a strong sense of discipline and foster a robust atmosphere throughout the Party of learning about discipline, knowing discipline, understanding discipline, and upholding discipline.
Stick to studying the regulations in their original form and ensure they are thoroughly understood and deeply ingrained.
Only by understanding the discipline can one recognize it; only by clearly grasping the discipline can one abide by it. Party discipline study and education should be based on the "Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Actions" (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations"). In the course of study, we must not only thoroughly learn each provision and requirement exactly as they are written, chapter by chapter and article by article, but also focus on the core essence of discipline—especially political discipline—so as to achieve deep comprehension, thorough insight, and seamless integration.
First, we must emphasize the study of political discipline and consistently uphold political discipline as the guiding principle to ensure that all other disciplines are strictly enforced in a comprehensive manner. Party discipline encompasses many aspects, but political discipline is the most important, fundamental, and critical among them. Adhering to the Party’s political discipline is the essential foundation for observing all other Party disciplines. Through Party discipline education and training, we will deeply expound on the intrinsic requirements of political discipline, ensuring that the entire Party always maintains a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee in terms of political stance, political direction, political principles, and political path. We will firmly uphold the “Two Establishments,” enhance the “Four Consciousnesses,” strengthen the “Four Confidences,” and practice the “Two Safeguards.” At the same time, in light of the new requirements for further strengthening political discipline and political norms across the Party—especially in light of the key directives set forth at the 20th National Congress of the Party regarding upholding and reinforcing the Party’s overall leadership and the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee—we will provide an in-depth analysis of the newly revised provisions in these regulations that address such issues as making compromises or finding loopholes when implementing the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, engaging in political climbing, and associating with political swindlers. We will explain why these behaviors should be categorized as violations of political discipline and why two previously classified work-discipline offenses and one formerly classified mass-discipline offense have been reclassified as violations of political discipline.
Second, clearly define the essential requirements and underlying spirit of each type of discipline according to its respective category, and explore the origins of these systems. We must deeply understand that the essential requirement of the Party’s political discipline is to uphold the Party’s leadership and ensure “two safeguards”; the essential requirement of organizational discipline is to adhere to the principle of democratic centralism and effectively implement the Party’s organizational guidelines for the new era; the essential requirement of integrity discipline is to maintain clean governance, exercise power impartially, and consciously avoid any potential conflicts of interest that may arise in various activities; the essential requirement of mass discipline is to uphold the Party’s purpose and resolutely carry out the Party’s mass line; the essential requirement of work discipline is to be loyal to one’s duties and courageously take responsibility and act decisively; and the essential requirement of lifestyle discipline is to put into practice the core socialist values, cultivate noble moral character, uphold public ethics, and strictly observe personal morality.
Third, based on a systematic understanding of the patterns underlying each type of disciplinary violation, we should delve deeply into the core requirements behind each disciplinary regulation. During this study, we should further systematically categorize, item by item, the manifestations of common, frequently occurring, and newly emerging disciplinary violations. We must gain a thorough comprehension of the elements that constitute various types of disciplinary violations, the criteria for identifying such violations, and the corresponding disciplinary responsibilities. Moreover, we need to clearly define the boundaries between violations, disciplinary infractions, and illegal acts, and precisely distinguish among different types of disciplinary offenses.
Fourth, we must grasp the Six Disciplines as a scientific system, fully understanding their scientific essence and the practical requirements of each provision. In our work, we should consciously fortify our ideological defenses by strictly adhering to rules and discipline. We should encourage Party members and cadres to deeply comprehend the fundamental principles and essential requirements embedded in disciplinary development, thereby continuously engaging in self-cultivation, self-discipline, and self-improvement. At all times, we must maintain self-respect, engage in self-reflection, remain vigilant, and motivate ourselves, truly ensuring that we hold a sense of awe in our hearts, exercise restraint in our words, and know when to stop in our actions.
Fifth, on the basis of thoroughly and accurately studying the Regulations, we should closely link theory with practice and deepen our understanding, thereby better ensuring that all requirements of the Regulations are internalized and translated into concrete actions. Various regions and departments can tailor their learning and education efforts to different levels, fields, and job positions. Building on a precise grasp of disciplinary requirements, they should focus on key areas—such as priority tasks, job responsibilities, and business processes—highlighting critical points and conducting targeted training and education. They should also continuously carry out integrity reminders, intensify the frequency and scope of such reminders, and ensure that the disciplinary防线 for Party members and cadres is firmly established down to the smallest details.
Persist in using the “key few” to drive the “vast majority.”
In the Party’s disciplinary education and learning initiatives, we must adhere to the principle of using the “key few” to drive the “vast majority.” On the basis of achieving full coverage of the “largest number,” we should strengthen “precise supervision” of the “key few,” guiding Party members and cadres—especially those newly promoted, young cadres, and cadres in key positions—to learn about discipline, understand discipline, clearly recognize discipline, and strictly abide by discipline. We must engrave compliance with rules and discipline deeply in their hearts and internalize them as unwavering behavioral norms that they follow naturally in their daily lives.
Newly promoted officials, assuming their new posts, carry with them the heavy trust of the organization and the people’s confidence. How they position themselves correctly, cultivate a proper understanding of power, achievements, and career aspirations, and effectively balance the relationship between being a good person and being an official—while also striking the right balance between being accountable to superiors and being accountable to subordinates—are all serious political tests they now face. It is crucial to strengthen disciplinary education for these newly promoted officials, ensuring that they always keep in mind “why they set out in the first place.” They must deeply understand that higher positions entail greater trust, heavier responsibilities, and greater risks. Therefore, they must strictly adhere to all Party discipline requirements, maintain a profound respect for Party rules and laws, and truly learn to be awed by discipline, remain vigilant, and uphold established norms.
Young cadres are the successors to the cause of the Party and the country. Whether they can strictly abide by discipline and remain honest and upright is not only crucial for their own healthy development but also vital to the future of the Party and the country’s cause. We must strengthen disciplinary education for young cadres and intensify such education for cadres in key positions—especially by focusing on tailored educational content that covers the entire lifecycle and all stages of young cadres’ professional growth. This will help them recognize the importance of “buttoning up the first button correctly” and ensure that they stay on the right path, advancing steadily and far into the future.
Cadres in key positions generally work in critical posts, vital sectors, and crucial links, playing an indispensable role in the development of their respective regions, departments, and units. They hold authority over personnel, finances, affairs, and resources. If education is not strengthened or effective management and oversight are lacking, the exercise of power can spiral out of control, making it all too easy for disciplinary violations and even illegal activities to occur. Meanwhile, the Party’s ongoing study and education on Party discipline demonstrate the comprehensive coverage of Party discipline—there are no “forbidden zones,” “privileges,” or “exceptions.” This initiative is directed at all Party organizations and members, covering every field, aspect, and department of Party building.
Source | People's Daily Online, Official Website for Party History Study and Education
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Tongfang Academy Micro-Party Class, Issue 257: Taking the Strengthening of Organizational Resilience and the Building of a High-Caliber Team as Key Focus Areas
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Tongfang Academy Micro-Party Class, Issue 255: Study Discipline, Understand Discipline, Clarify Discipline, and Uphold Discipline
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