Boasting a membership of over 90 million and governing an economy with a GDP of over 90 trillion yuan (about 13 trillion U.S. dollars), the 98-year-old Communist Party of China (CPC) still harbors its most distinctive character: self-reform.
The courage for self-reform has created continual impetus and ensured the correct course in the CPC's 70-year journey as a ruling Party of the world's most populous country.
"The CPC is a very dynamic organization," said Martin Jacques, a China expert and senior fellow at Cambridge University.
Martin Jacques noted that the CPC has been very successful at reinventing itself to move with the times, which is quite difficult for big parties like the CPC.
LONG TRADITION
Amid its revolutionary struggle and governance practices, the CPC has produced rich theoretic outcomes in the Party's self-reform, such as firming up ideals and convictions, exercising rigorous governance over the Party and subjecting itself to the supervision of the people.
Shen Fei, associate professor with the Shanghai-based China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong (CELAP), said the CPC has gradually formed a fine tradition of carrying out timely centralized education within the Party since as early as the Rectification Movement in Yan'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, in the 1940s.
"The purpose of carrying out centralized education in the Party is to solve prominent problems in the Party and to strengthen its self-construction," Shen said.
After its 18th National Congress in late 2012, the CPC launched activities to see members command and act on the Party's mass line to bring the Party closer to the people and initiated a campaign for the observance of the "Three Stricts and Three Earnests," which urged officials to maintain disciplinary and moral integrity.
It introduced the eight-point frugality code, realized more extensive coverage of inspection by central and provincial Party committees and has been firm in "taking out tigers," "swatting flies" and "hunting down foxes" in its fight against corruption.
In its latest step in self-reform, the CPC launched an education campaign themed "staying true to our founding mission" throughout the Party in June.
The study campaign was launched as China marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) this year, which is also the 70th year of the CPC's ruling of the populous country.
"The longer we stay in power, the more important it is that we must not forget the party's original aspiration and mission or lose its revolutionary spirit," said Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee.
REFORM LOGIC
The original aspiration and the mission, which is to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, is what inspires Chinese Communists to advance.
For Xin Ming, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, the latest education campaign is a timely spiritual baptism to CPC members, which implies the profound logic of the CPC in running the country.
"As a political party that attaches great importance to study, the CPC has indeed been moving toward maturity and victory through continuous education," Xin said, noting that each intensive education activity has brought about great progress.
As a Marxist political party, the CPC is able to free itself from the limitations of all previous political forces which focused on pursuing their own special interests.
"The CPC's courage of self-reform originated from its belief. It has no special interests of its own except the interests of the state, the nation and the people," Shen said.
The country is facing the contradiction between unbalanced and inadequate development and the people's ever-growing needs for a better life.
Despite different backgrounds, people hold shared aspirations: a job that supports their family, a safe community to live in, a fair chance to develop themselves, a better environment and the ability to give their children a better future.
NOT A SINGLE PAUSE
Despite decades of fast development, China is in the primary stage of socialism and will remain so for a long time to come. The year 2019 is a crucial year for the period in which the timeframes of the two centenary goals converge.
The CPC is tasked with various responsibilities including forestalling and defusing major risks, poverty alleviation and preventing and treating pollution.
Facing a complicated external environment, the country is exploring tackling the great threats posed especially by unilateralism, protectionism and trade bullying.
Noting various negative factors, dangers and challenges ahead, Xi said last week that the Party's self-reform is facing arduous and long-term tasks and not any thought of a pause or rest should be allowed.
The CPC is committed to building itself into a vibrant Marxist governing party that is always at the forefront of the times, enjoys the wholehearted support of the people, has the courage to reform itself and is able to withstand all tests.
"To achieve the aim, it must adhere to high standards and have the courage to face problems squarely, and act to remove whatever undermines the Party's purity and advanced nature," said Xin Ming, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.
