By studying history, we gain clarity, build confidence, cultivate virtue, and put knowledge into practice. Standing at the historical juncture of the “Two Centenaries,” we look back on our journey of struggle past and gaze forward toward the path of vigorous advancement ahead.

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.

General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech delivered at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection provides fundamental guidance for deepening the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, strengthening Party conduct and integrity building, and intensifying the fight against corruption in the new era and on the new journey. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must persistently purify the political ecosystem.” “We must strictly enforce political discipline and rules, and rigorously regulate political life within the Party.” “We must foster a political ecosystem characterized by integrity and uprightness.” Creating a clean and upright political ecosystem is a fundamental and ongoing task for strengthening the Party’s political development. It requires addressing the root causes, nurturing the underlying environment, cultivating righteous ethos, and consolidating the Party’s foundations—efforts that must be persistent and sustained over the long term. On this new journey ahead, we must deeply study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thoughts on the Party’s self-revolution, firmly uphold the “Two Establishments,” and resolutely practice the “Two Safeguards.” We must uphold the Party’s political development as its fundamental priority, take the Party’s political development as the guiding principle, and drive the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party to deeper levels.

By consistently upholding the Party’s political development as the guiding principle, we have grasped the fundamental issue underlying the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party.

To do a good job in China’s affairs, the key lies in the Party—and crucially, in upholding the principle that the Party must govern itself and enforce strict governance over the Party in all respects. Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has taken comprehensively enforcing strict governance over the Party as a defining theme for Party building in the new era, clearly defined the strategic position of political development in Party building in the new era, and grasped the fundamental issues underlying comprehensive and strict governance over the Party.

Upholding clear political principles is a fundamental requirement for our Party as a Marxist political party. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Marxist political parties possess lofty political ideals, noble political aspirations, pure political qualities, and strict political discipline. If a Marxist political party loses its political advancement, it will be impossible to talk about the Party’s advanced nature and purity. This is precisely why we regard the Party’s political development as its most fundamental construction.” Political advancement is a distinctive feature that sets Marxist political parties apart from other political parties. Strengthening the Party’s political development aims to firmly uphold political convictions, enhance political leadership, improve political capabilities, purify the political environment, and achieve unity and concerted action across the entire Party.

The most advantageous initiative is a politically proactive one; the most dangerous passivity is political passivity. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “To comprehensively and strictly govern the Party, we must first take a political perspective,” and “Political issues must be addressed from a political standpoint.” If we fail to recognize and address problems from a political standpoint, we will find ourselves stuck in a reactive situation—treating symptoms rather than root causes—and will be unable to solve problems at their source. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, in the course of our practice of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, we have come to deeply understand that issues such as laxity and softness in Party governance ultimately stem from political laxity and softness. They arise because some Party members and leading cadres have become politically confused, and because certain Party organizations have failed to attach sufficient importance to and effectively implement political development.

Strengthening the Party’s political development is the fundamental solution to addressing all kinds of problems within the Party. We must place the Party’s political development first, adhere to its political development as the overarching guiding principle, highlight the “two safeguards,” and deepen political oversight. This will enable us to fundamentally address issues such as impure ideology, impure politics, impure organization, and impure conduct that exist within the Party. We must give top priority to strictly enforcing the Party’s political discipline and political norms, focusing on political loyalty, political security, political responsibility, political stance, and intra-Party political life. We must resolutely correct political deviations, promptly eliminate political risks, and ensure that our Party always upholds lofty political ideals, pursues noble political goals, maintains pure political qualities, enforces strict political discipline, and perpetually preserves its advanced nature and purity.

Strengthening the Party’s political development powerfully promotes the deepening and advancement 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 taken the Party’s political development as the overarching guide for all aspects of Party building. It has upheld and strengthened the Party’s overall leadership, strictly enforced political discipline and rules, persistently tackled unhealthy tendencies and rectified misconduct, and launched an unprecedented anti-corruption campaign. As a result, we have brought to a halt some long-standing malpractices that had long resisted correction, addressed chronic problems that had persisted for years, eliminated serious hidden dangers within the Party, the state, and the military, and fundamentally reversed the situation of laxity and weakness in Party governance. Through arduous efforts, our Party has successfully opened up a new realm of self-revolution for this century-old party. In the course of revolutionary forging, the Party has become even stronger and more powerful, and it continues to serve as a steadfast and reliable leadership core in the historical process of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics.

We must ensure that the entire Party submits to the Central Committee and uphold the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. The Party’s leadership is the most essential feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the greatest advantage of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. Upholding the Party’s overall leadership is an indispensable path for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics. By strengthening the Party’s political development, we will encourage the entire Party to consciously maintain high ideological, political, and practical alignment with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, deeply grasp the decisive significance of the “Two Establishments,” enhance the “Four Consciousnesses,” firmly uphold the “Four Confidences,” and practice the “Two Safeguards.” This will ensure that the Party plays its role as the leading core—overseeing the overall situation and coordinating all sides—and achieve unity and concerted action across the entire Party.

We must persistently use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to unite hearts and forge souls. To comprehensively enforce strict Party governance, we must make up for the "calcium" lacking in the spiritual lives of Communists and firmly establish the soul of our ideological convictions. We will leverage the Party’s political development as a political compass guiding its ideological development, educating and guiding Party members and cadres to deeply study the basic theories of Marxism, profoundly grasp the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, and consciously apply the standpoints, viewpoints, and methods embedded therein, transforming scientific theory into a powerful force that bolsters firm ideals, hones Party spirit, guides practical actions, and drives work forward. We will educate and guide Party members and cadres to solidify their ideological foundations of loyalty, integrity, and responsibility, uphold the spiritual pursuits of Communists, and consciously become steadfast believers and loyal practitioners of both the lofty ideal of communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Improve the Party’s institutional framework for self-revolution. Strict governance of the Party relies not only on ideological education but also on institutional safeguards. Guided by the Party Constitution and centered on the principle of democratic centralism, our Party continuously refines its system of internal Party regulations and rules, enhancing their authority and enforceability, and establishing mechanisms that uphold truth, correct errors, identify problems, and rectify deviations. We will further strengthen the Party’s unified leadership, comprehensive coverage, and authoritative and efficient oversight system; refine mechanisms for supervising and restraining the exercise of power; and, with intra-Party supervision as the leading force, promote seamless coordination and synergy among various oversight mechanisms, ensuring that power operates in the sunlight. We will focus on making political oversight more concrete, precise, and routine, resolutely removing from the Party and its cadre ranks those who undermine its integrity. We will strictly and realistically strengthen the management and oversight of Party members and cadres, driving the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party to deeper levels.

We must steadfastly uphold a rigorous tone in strengthening Party conduct and discipline. At its core, issues of work style are fundamentally issues of Party spirit. We must therefore consistently address Party spirit, work style, and Party discipline together, and promote the normalization and long-term effectiveness of work-style development. Our Party has comprehensively strengthened disciplinary building within the Party, ensuring that discipline truly serves as a high-voltage line charged with electricity. Firmly upholding the “Two Upholds” has been established as our primary political discipline. Closely focusing on the people’s hearts—the greatest political asset—we must adhere to the Party’s mass line and forever preserve the political integrity of Communists. We should carry forward the Party’s glorious traditions and fine work styles, continue to deepen efforts to rectify the “Four Winds,” and concentrate on addressing the most prominent problems of formalism and bureaucratism.

We are determined to win the tough and protracted battle against corruption. Corruption is the greatest malignant tumor that threatens the Party’s vitality and combat effectiveness. Fighting corruption is the most thorough form of self-revolution—a major political struggle that we cannot afford to lose and must never allow ourselves to lose. We have strengthened the Party’s centralized and unified leadership over the fight against corruption, maintained a sustained high-pressure stance in punishing corruption, and insisted on promoting simultaneously the deterrence of corruption, the establishment of mechanisms to prevent corruption, and the cultivation of an attitude that deters corruption. We have deepened efforts to address both the symptoms and root causes of corruption through systematic and comprehensive approaches, continuously expanding the depth and breadth of our anti-corruption campaign. By adopting targeted measures, delivering precise treatments, and employing multiple strategies, we are gradually reducing the recurrence of longstanding problems and making it increasingly difficult for newly emerging issues to spread. This will help turn the prevention and governance of corruption into a regular, long-term practice.

To provide strong guarantees for fully advancing the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation.

On this new journey, we must firmly uphold the “Two Establishments” and resolutely practice the “Two Safeguards,” consistently taking the Party’s political development as the guiding principle, and deepening efforts to enforce strict governance over the Party and promote its self-revolution. This will provide strong guarantees for fully advancing the cause of building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization.

Uphold and strengthen the Party’s overall leadership. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Upholding and strengthening the Party’s overall leadership is vital to the future and destiny of the Party and the country. All our undertakings are built upon this foundation and deeply rooted in this most essential characteristic and greatest advantage.” We must improve the organizational, institutional, and working mechanisms for upholding and strengthening the Party’s overall leadership, ensuring that the Party’s overall leadership is fully implemented in all fields, aspects, and links—ranging from reform, development, and stability to domestic affairs, foreign relations, national defense, and governance of the Party, the state, and the military. We must effectively convert the institutional advantages of the Party’s overall leadership into effective governance capabilities, and rally the entire Party to unite and strive vigorously toward the grand cause of fully advancing the building of a strong country and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Grasp the political direction firmly. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The political direction is the paramount issue for the Party’s survival and development, and it concerns the Party’s future and destiny as well as the success or failure of its undertakings.” To strengthen the Party’s political development, we must guide all Party members to pool their wisdom and strength on the great cause of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and to focus them on advancing Chinese-style modernization—the greatest political task of our time. We must urge the entire Party to integrate adherence to the correct political direction into the practice of formulating major strategies, drafting major policies, deploying major tasks, and promoting major initiatives; regularly compare ourselves against established benchmarks, promptly correct any deviations, and ensure that all undertakings of the Party and the state always advance along the right political path.

Uphold a firm political stance. A political stance is fundamental to the Party’s political development. Our Party has always firmly upheld the Marxist stance and resolutely maintained both the Party’s principled stand and the people’s standpoint. We must highly unify our sense of responsibility to the Party with our sense of responsibility to the people, consistently taking the Party’s banner as our own banner, following the Party’s direction as our own direction, and aligning our will with the Party’s will. We must always speak for the Party, worry about the Party, and act for the Party, remaining wholeheartedly united with the Party at all times. We must always keep the people at the very top of our hearts, adhere to a development philosophy centered on the people, regard the realization of the people’s aspirations for a better life as the starting point and ultimate goal of modernization, continuously maintain close ties of blood and flesh with the masses, always welcome the people’s criticism and supervision, and remain forever in sync with the people—sharing their joys and sorrows, and standing together through thick and thin.

Enhance political competence. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Among the various competencies that cadres need to perform their duties effectively, political competence ranks first.” Enhancing political competence means being adept at analyzing and resolving issues from a political perspective. Only by analyzing issues from a political standpoint can we see through to their essence; only by addressing issues from a political standpoint can we grasp their root causes. We must always be politically clear-headed and honest, maintain a high degree of political sensitivity, continuously strengthen our political judgment, political comprehension, and political execution capabilities, and regard loyalty to the Party, sharing its worries, fulfilling our duties for the Party, and bringing benefits to the people as our fundamental political responsibility. With a spirit of vigorous striving and a sense of responsibility that keeps us constantly concerned, we should put into practice the original aspirations and missions of communists and make outstanding contributions on the journey toward building a strong country and achieving national rejuvenation.