The Communist Party of China (CPC) has made outstanding achievements during the past 95 years since its establishment. However, it faces increasingly sophisticated challenges as well.
First of all, as the global economy is perplexed by various difficulties, how to maintain the sustainable and healthy economic development of China is a tough task for the CPC. Chinese citizens are no longer simply satisfied with being fed and dressed. They expect more democratic rights and a better legal environment.
How to improve the nation's soft power is another challenge for the party. Correct values should be developed to unite Chinese citizens and to make Chinese culture more influential globally.
In addition, given the relatively high rate of social conflicts, the CPC is advised to put more efforts into strengthening the stability and harmony of Chinese society.
Environment protection is another key task for the party, as citizens have higher demands for ecological environment now. Peaceful reunification, which is the prerequisite to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, should also be a focus.
Besides, China's rise will for sure change the international geopolitical pattern, of which some countries are quite concerned. Thus, the CPC is tasked with convincing the world that China's development is an opportunity, rather than a threat, for other countries. Among all challenges, corruption is the most significant and urgent one for the party.
Despite the severity of the above challenges, the CPC has the capabilities to properly address them. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, the party has taken a series of actions to boost the confidence of Chinese citizens. Regarding organizational building, a high-quality contingent of officials has been constructed. This is where the party's competitiveness and cohesion lie. Whether scientific institutions can be utilized in governance affects not only the performances of party members, but also the public's attitude to the party.
In terms of the CPC's work style, the party has followed the mass line and carried out a number of people-oriented activities to address the prominent problems facing the public. Inheriting and carrying forward the revolutionary traditions, and maintaining close ties with the public is essential for the CPC to win people's trust and support.
The CPC consolidated its status as a ruling party by safeguarding national interests and answering people's democratic appeals in the past. Today, it should strive to meet people's material and cultural interests and democratic rights through an outstanding political performance.
On anti-corruption, the party should build punishment mechanisms to deter potential culprits, set up preventive institutions to eradicate possibilities of corruption, and safeguard mechanisms to make corruption less likely to happen. A clean government is a guarantee of the party's future. Experiences suggest that seriously corrupt regimes are doomed to be uprooted. The CPC's primary aim is to serve people wholeheartedly, and thus people have higher demands for the CPC in this regard.
In institutional construction, everyone is equal before the law, and there is no privilege in front of institutions. The law is prioritized over people. Contributive ideas and practices can be upgraded into the CPC constitution, regulations and rules, so as to make party life more institutionalized, standard and procedural. This is a reflection of the CPC's scientific construction and an institutional warranty for stability.
To stimulate officials' initiative, education is vitally important. Party members should learn rules, policies and General Secretary Xi Jinping's speeches. They should consciously identify with the party's ideas after education. In addition, restraints from outside is also essential. The CPC's leadership has already adopted regulations on "collective punishment" and officials' duty of care. The party is also putting more efforts on supervision regulations.
Accountability mechanism is an effective tool in party governance and a guarantee for better performances and regulating members to be more faithful, clean and responsible. The implementation of accountability mechanism will deter and alleviate dereliction of duty within the party. Those negligent of their duties will have negative impact on the party's overall performances if unpunished.
Execution is vital in party governance. Under this situation, accountability mechanisms will play a significant role in helping execute policies. The CPC has the capabilities and wisdom to address all the challenges it is facing at present.
The author is a professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn