Strict Political Discipline and Political Rules of the Party

Taking a clear political stand is the outstanding characteristic and strength of the CPC as a Marxist party. The Party’s political discipline refers to the basic requirements that Party organizations and Party members must follow in their political activities and conduct in different periods of time, as required by the Party’s political tasks at that time. Every Party organization and every Party member must follow the Central Committee regarding political principles, stance, views, lines and policies.

Addressing the fifth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection on January 13, 2015, Xi Jinping coined the term “political rules.”

The intra-Party rules are the rules and code of conduct that every CPC organization and every CPC member must observe. They include, inter alia:

? the Constitution of the Communist Party of China, which is the overriding statute that the whole Party must observe;

? Party discipline, which is mandatory and binding, requiring all members of the Party to strictly abide by the guidelines and principles of the Party when making speeches or taking actions of a political nature;

? state laws, to which no CPC member or official is exempt. As the Party has led the people in enacting the state laws, all CPC members must set an example in observance of the law; and

? the great traditions and working practices developed by the Party over the years, which must be maintained.

Among all Party discipline and Party rules, political discipline and political rules are the supreme criterion of surmounting importance.

黨的政治紀律和政治規矩

中國共產黨作為馬克思主義政黨，講政治是突出的特點和優勢。黨的政治紀律是指在各個不同時期，根據黨的政治任務要求，對各級黨組織和黨員的政治活動和政治行為的基本約束，是各級黨組織和黨員在政治生活中必須遵守的行為準則。政治紀律的基本要求是：各級黨組織和黨員，必須在政治原則、政治立場、政治觀點和路線、方針、政策上同中央保持高度一致。2015年1月13日，習近平在十八屆中央紀委第五次全會上正式提出了“政治規矩”一詞。黨內規矩是黨的各級組織和全體黨員必須遵守的行為規范和規則。黨的規矩包括：第一，黨章是全黨必須遵循的總章程，也是總規矩。第二，黨的紀律是剛性約束，政治紀律更是全黨在政治方向、政治立場、政治言論、政治行動方面必須遵守的剛性約束。第三，國家法律是黨員、干部必須遵守的規矩，法律是黨領導人民制定的，全黨必須模范執行。第四，黨在長期實踐中形成的優良傳統和工作慣例，也需要很好地遵守。在所有黨的紀律和規矩中，政治紀律和政治規矩排在第一位。