Scholars and political figures from six countries highlighted the significance of the Communist Party of China's (CPC) pursuit of full and rigorous Party self-governance in maintaining public trust and advancing China's development as the 20th CPC Central Committee started its fifth plenary session in Beijing on Monday.
Ekaterina Zaklyazminskaya, head of the Center for World Politics and Strategic Analysis at the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of China and Contemporary Asia, emphasized the importance of continued efforts to strengthen Party discipline and self-governance.
"My main hope for the fifth plenary session is that full and rigorous Party self-governance will be on the agenda. We see that as an important step forward in Party building, purifying its ranks and enforcing discipline. We strongly support the CPC's approach to self-reform, self-purification and self-improvement. These efforts can help the Party remain at the forefront of change," Zaklyazminskaya said.
The question of how a ruling party maintains public support has long featured in CPC discourse. In a 1945 exchange with educator Huang Yanpei, Mao Zedong said the key to escaping the historical cycle of rise and fall was to place the government under the people's supervision. The CPC describes this as its first answer to the question.
Nenad Stekic, an assistant professor at the University of Belgrade's Faculty of Security Studies, linked the party's second answer -- self-reform -- to its relationship with ordinary people.
"President Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that the Communist Party of China must pursue self-reform, a revolution from within, as the second answer to the question of how to escape the historical cycle of rise and fall. Why did some dynasties rise and then fall? Because they lost touch with ordinary people. That is why he stresses that the Party must stay connected to the people. I believe the Party, under Xi's leadership, has done a great deal to improve the well-being of the Chinese people," Stekic said.
Emin Gasimov, director of Azerbaijan's Center for the Study of China's Global Initiatives, Development and Culture, emphasized the role of the party's self-renewal in advancing China's modernization.
"I see Xi Jinping's distinct contribution in linking the country's prospects for modernization to the constant renewal of the ruling party. In my view, the key point of his approach to governance is that lasting leadership requires a party to keep demanding more of itself, and its ability to renew itself must be reflected in better development for the country and a better quality of life for its people," Gasimov said.
Brazilian researcher Ronnie Lins highlighted the role of a ruling party's capacity for self-renewal in strengthening the institutions it leads.
"A ruling party's ability to renew itself is a vital source of institutional strength. In that respect, the Chinese experience offers an important example: it grounds its self-revolution in self-purification, works to improve and renew itself, and raises its standards as it pursues deeper reform from within," said Lins, director of the China-Brazil Center for Research and Business.
Lins also emphasized the connection between effective governance and improvements in people's lives.
"One of the most significant aspects of the Communist Party of China's approach to governing is its recognition that rigorous Party self-governance and better governance ultimately serve the same purpose: improving people's lives. That experience offers valuable lessons for Latin America," Lins said.
Full and rigorous Party self-governance is one of the four components of the CPC's Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy. The other three are building a modern socialist country in all respects, deepening reform and advancing law-based governance.
"I believe full and rigorous Party self-governance is important because, in practice, it means strengthening democracy in China. In my view, the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy is well suited to China's circumstances," former Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy said.
Tanzanian political analyst Hildebrand Shayo focused on the demands that Party self-governance places on those in power.
"The significance is clear. President Xi Jinping's emphasis on exercising full and rigorous governance over the Party reflects the view that a ruling party must continually strengthen its discipline, integrity, institutional capacity and the ability to lead national development. The significance can be understood through three key terms: 'full,' 'rigorous' and 'governance,' " Shayo said.
Shayo also addressed the responsibilities of a ruling party in strengthening its leadership, maintaining internal discipline and retaining public trust.
"A core principle is that a political party entrusted with governing a country must continue strengthening its leadership, regulate its members' conduct and, importantly, maintain public confidence," Shayo said.
International figures highlight role of CPC self-governance in China's development as plenary session opens
