Li Ganjie writes in People’s Daily that the Decision of the CPC Central Committee on Several Major Issues Concerning the Persistent Advancement of Full and Rigorous Party Self-Governance, adopted at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, sets out requirements for strictly implementing democratic centralism. The article, carried by The Paper, treats this as part of the Party’s effort to manage itself and to exercise full and rigorous self-governance, and as significant for the Party-building project of the new era.
Original article: https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_34450003
Why the article says democratic centralism matters
The Decision, as quoted in the article, states that democratic centralism is the Party’s fundamental organizational principle and leadership system, and that carrying it out is an inherent requirement of full and rigorous Party self-governance. The commentary presents this as a conclusion drawn by the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core from the Party’s historical experience, from the rise and fall of some parties elsewhere, and from repeated practice. It says implementation begins with studying Xi Jinping’s remarks on democratic centralism and with stronger political, ideological and practical commitment to carrying it out.
The article makes three arguments.
A distinguishing mark of a Marxist party. It recalls that Marx and Engels, while preparing the Communist League and the International Workingmen’s Association, set out the idea of combining democracy and centralism; that Lenin proposed writing democratic centralism into the rules of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party as an organizational principle and extending it to parties in the Communist International; and that the CPC developed under Marxist party-building theory and democratic centralism into what the article calls the world’s largest governing party. It attributes to Xi Jinping the views that democratic centralism is the Party’s fundamental organizational principle and leadership system and an important mark distinguishing Marxist parties from others; that democracy and centralism condition and complement each other and neither can be absent; and that upholding the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is consistent with upholding democratic centralism.
A basis for unity and decision-making. The article says that, over its history, the Party grew in complex conditions in part by adhering to democratic centralism, unifying thinking and action and checking dispersion. It attributes to Xi the statement that democratic centralism is an important guarantee of the Party’s creativity, cohesion and fighting capacity and of its unity, and says he has set an example in practicing it. It says that since the 18th Party Congress, decisions by the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core have followed democratic centralism, drawn on intra-Party democracy, investigation and wide consultation, and were formed through repeated discussion. In the article’s account, this supported the Party in leading the people through major risks and challenges, resolving long-standing problems and accomplishing major tasks, with historic achievements and changes in the cause of the Party and the country.
Pooling strength for Chinese modernization. The article says conditions in the world, the country and the Party are changing deeply; that China’s development faces both strategic opportunities and risks, with more uncertain and hard-to-predict factors; and that the Party must be ready for severe tests. It argues that more complex conditions and harder tasks require both the centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee and the pooling of wisdom and strength. It attributes to Xi the view that democratic centralism can both stimulate the whole Party’s creativity and unify thinking and action, while checking the tendency to discuss without deciding or to decide without acting, and that it is a sound and efficient system. The article calls for higher standards in combining the full exercise of democracy with correct centralization, so as to form joint force for Chinese modernization and, in its phrasing, to let “governance by the Communist Party of China” guide “governance of China.”
Where the article says implementation should focus
The commentary says the Decision explains the relationship between democracy and centralism and sets four priority tasks. It calls for a political situation that has both centralization and democracy, both discipline and freedom, and both unity of will and personal ease of mind.
Centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee as the highest principle. The article says upholding the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee is the core of the “four obediences” under democratic centralism and is essential to the principle’s orderly operation. It calls for studying and carrying out Xi Jinping’s speeches and written instructions as the “first item on the agenda” and the “first political requirement,” aligning with them, and reporting results in practice as an expression of the “two upholds.” It calls for improving mechanisms to implement major decisions of the Party Central Committee; strengthening political oversight of political requirements; and building a full chain of task assignment, supervision, regular reporting, inspection and notification, follow-up on results, and accountability. It also calls for project-based, list-based and ledger-style closed-loop management, and for strictly following the system of requesting instructions from and reporting to the Party Central Committee on major decisions, matters and situations. In the article’s formulation, overall major policies are to be decided by the Party Central Committee, major principles and matters determined by it, and important situations reported to it, without acting first and reporting later, acting while reporting, or acting without reporting.
Higher-quality intra-Party democracy as an important foundation. The article describes intra-Party democracy as the Party’s lifeblood and as a basis for healthy political life, and says exercising it and achieving correct centralization are requirements of democratic centralism. It calls for respecting Party members’ principal position and safeguarding their rights to know, participate, elect and supervise; opening channels for discussing Party affairs and expressing views; and guiding members to treat rights under the Party Constitution as a duty to the Party, while observing discipline. It calls for conducting Party work under the democratic principles and procedures in the Party Constitution and rules; putting into effect systems for congress delegates to take part in major decisions, cadre recommendation and democratic appraisal, attend relevant Party committee meetings, and keep contact with members and the public; and improving the quality of Party committee, standing committee and leading Party members’ group meetings through preparation, discussion and strict follow-through, rather than one person deciding or decisions being a formality. It also calls for an atmosphere of equal discussion, protection of members who speak truthfully, and timely criticism or serious handling of acts that infringe members’ rights.
Rules for leading-body deliberation and decision-making as a key lever. The article calls collective leadership the concrete expression of democratic centralism in the Party’s leadership system. It says major matters and issues should be decided collectively under the principles of collective leadership, democratic centralism, individual consultation and meeting decision, so that individuals are not placed above the organization. It calls for defining members’ duties so that responsibilities are neither left to others nor pursued at cross purposes. It says rules and procedures of Party committees and leading Party members’ groups should be improved, with investigation, scientific assessment and risk evaluation before major decisions: no blind decision without in-depth research, no casual decision without multi-sided assessment, and no forced decision without consensus. It calls for oversight of “three important and one large” matters—major decisions, important personnel appointments and removals, major project arrangements and the use of large sums of funds—compliance and legality review, assessment of consistency with macro policy orientation, and consultation of lower-level Party organizations before a higher-level organization makes an important decision concerning them. After a decision, the article says discussion should give way to prompt and thorough implementation, correcting arbitrary action, acting separately, failing to decide, failing to act, or acting without substance. It also calls for a lifelong responsibility system for major decisions, so that collective decision-making is not used to violate rules collectively or to evade responsibility.
Regulating how the “top leader” exercises power as a critical link. The article says implementation of democratic centralism depends especially on leading officials, particularly the “top leader.” It calls for powers to be exercised according to rules and law; for constraints on leading-body power; and for dividing authority by matter, post and level, with regular rotation. It calls for clear boundaries on the “top leader’s” duties, oversight throughout the exercise of power, and keeping power within institutional limits. It says the “top leader” should speak last: major decisions, important personnel appointments and removals, major projects and large expenditures must be decided after collective discussion; the “top leader” should not set the tone first or impose a personal view, but should summarize after other members have spoken and form a resolution by the minority following the majority. Oversight, the article says, should combine supervision from above, at the same level and from below, including special reports by a “top leader” on managing and supervising lower-level “top leaders,” and supervisory talks by Party committees and leading Party members’ groups with lower-level “top leaders.” Review should focus on whether a “one-person say” or a “patriarchal” style is practiced and whether collective decision-making and last-to-speak rules for “three important and one large” matters are followed. Selection of a “top leader,” it says, should examine competence in carrying out democratic centralism.
How the article says it should be carried out
The commentary describes implementation as a shared political responsibility of the whole Party and, first, of leading officials at all levels. It sets out four paths.
Theoretical preparation and political direction. It says political firmness and conscious action come from theoretical clarity, and links study of the Decision to grasping what it calls the decisive significance of the “two establishments” and resolutely doing the “two upholds.” Leading officials, it says, should study the Decision together with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially Xi’s thinking on Party building, and master the basic theory, content and requirements of democratic centralism. Democratic centralism should be an important part of cadre education and training, including its theoretical, historical and practical logic.
Institutions and political responsibility. The article says implementation depends on concrete institutional arrangements and that long practice has produced a relatively complete system. It calls for leading officials, especially principal ones, to grasp the requirements and for responsibility to be assigned level by level. The arrangements it lists include the Party congress system, the Party committee system, the intra-Party election system, collective leadership, intra-Party supervision, Party organizational life, and protection of Party members’ rights. It also says the institutional strengths of democratic centralism should be used to improve whole-process people’s democracy and to make socialist democratic politics more institutionalized, standardized and procedure-based, so that national political life is both vigorous and orderly.
Oversight and accountability. The article says mobilization cannot replace accountability. It calls for regular analysis, inspection and assessment of how Party organizations carry out democratic centralism, focused on insufficient democracy, insufficient correct centralization, insufficient criticism and insufficient discipline. Implementation of the “three important and one large” decision system should be part of routine supervision, disciplinary inspections, audit supervision and special inspections. Violations should be found and corrected in time, and leading bodies and individuals that implement poorly or cause major deviations and mistakes should be held responsible. It calls for stronger top-down organizational supervision, improved bottom-up democratic supervision, mutual supervision at the same level, and clear priorities, measures and responsibility for accountability.
Capability and political environment. The article treats carrying out democratic centralism as a leadership ability and art that officials, especially “top leaders,” must have. It calls for an equal and well-intentioned attitude, a broad mind, and full and accurate grasp of real views, followed by repeated study, comparison and selection of sound opinions. Correct centralization, it says, means unifying differing views, drawing out genuine insights from scattered opinions, and concentrating views that accord with the laws of development and the fundamental interests of the people. It calls for unity based on Party spirit, and for the use of democratic life meetings and criticism and self-criticism, so that leading bodies set rules and form an environment that both encourages individuals and relies on the collective, both trusts and supervises, both tolerates mistakes and corrects them in time, and both cooperates and does not violate principle.
The piece is a commentary on the Decision and on statements attributed to Xi Jinping; it is not a separate report of new events or data.
