Xi stresses full, strict Party governance, vows zero tolerance on corruption

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Tuesday stressed rigorous and unswerving efforts in further promoting full and strict Party governance.

Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, vowed to maintain a zero-tolerance stance on corruption while addressing the sixth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning and Han Zheng attended the meeting.

Zhao Leji, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the CCDI, presided over the meeting.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the CPC Central Committee has improved Party conduct, upheld integrity and combated corruption with unprecedented courage and resolve, Xi said.

"Certain unhealthy tendencies that hadn't been curbed for a long time have been reined in, many problems that had long plagued us have been remedied, and serious potential dangers in the Party, the country and the military have been rooted out," Xi said.

The problem of lax and weak governance over Party organizations has been addressed at the fundamental level, and a successful path to breaking the historical cycle of rise and fall has been blazed through the Party's self-reform, Xi added.

Stressing staying true to the Party's original aspiration and founding mission more firmly and consciously, Xi called for CPC members' concrete actions to implement the principle of being loyal to the Party and the people.

The whole Party should act consistently with the CPC Central Committee at every turn and implement the Party Central Committee's decisions and policies with solid efforts, Xi said.

Xi urged continuous efforts to achieve the strategic goal that officials do not dare, are not able, and have no desire to be corrupt.

"We should be aware that the fight against corruption is still raging," Xi stressed.

He noted several daunting tasks in the battle, including guarding against the unwarranted influence of all sorts of interests groups, preventing officials from falling prey to erosion behaviors, identifying and dealing with furtive forms of corruption that employ upgraded methods, eliminating the breeding grounds for corruption, being free of systemic corruption, and defusing risks and hidden dangers.

The practice of formalities for formalities' sake and bureaucratism are the arch enemies of the cause of the Party and the country, Xi stressed.

He asked officials to make more solid efforts to work for the people's well-being and guard against massively launching flashy programs for appearance's sake.

Education, management and supervision of young officials must be strengthened to ensure they are loyal and reliable to the Party and the people, Xi said.

Xi also demanded that Party committees at all levels strengthen the oversight over the "key few," particularly those in command and the leading bodies, he said.

Presiding over the meeting, Zhao Leji said Xi's speech has made the strategic plans clear to deepen strict Party governance in all aspects and prepare for the opening of the Party's 20th national congress.