Party discipline study and education
Study of the original text of the "Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Actions"
(Source: Website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission)

What are the punishment provisions for befriending or acting as a political swindler?

The newly revised "Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Actions" clearly adds and specifies the punishment provisions for engaging in speculative activities, befriending political swindlers or being used by political swindlers, and for Party members acting as political swindlers.

"Political swindlers" generally refer to individuals who fabricate identities by falsely impersonating leading cadres and their relatives, friends, or staff members, or by posing as experts, professors, scholars, think tanks, or "masters" with special backgrounds. They design their deceptive actions by forging images, videos, and audio materials of leading cadres, fabricating experiences of interactions with leading cadres, spreading political rumors, creating internal information, and feigning "connections" to gain trust, using the lure of "promotion and appointment" or "settling cases" to obtain economic benefits, social status, and other illegitimate interests.

The usual modus operandi of political swindlers is to fabricate special identities and backgrounds, spread so-called "inside information," and portray themselves as influential and mysterious figures to deceive others and gain their trust, thereby defrauding them of money and property, or even interfering with personnel arrangements and projects.

The primary motives of Party members and cadres who befriend or act as political swindlers are usually for political speculation or to seek illegitimate interests. Some hope to use connections to seek promotion, others hope to find ways to "resolve difficulties," some hope to interfere with personnel arrangements or projects, or have other ulterior motives, such as seeking "inside information" or gaining political capital.

Determining whether a Party member or cadre has engaged in speculative activities by befriending a political swindler or being used by one requires evidence that the Party member or cadre had the motive of seeking illegitimate political gains. Subjectively, they must have known that the person they were befriending was a political swindler, or should have known based on the other person's behavior. If a Party member or cadre's interaction with a political swindler was short-lived, and they ended the relationship after realizing they were being deceived, or did not help the swindler, and the circumstances are minor, their actions and attitude, remorse, and the results of the investigation can be considered, and they may not be punished, or may be given a lenient punishment such as criticism, warning, or organizational handling.

To determine whether a Party member or cadre acted as a political swindler, it must be established that they had the subjective motive to seek illegitimate interests by interfering with personnel arrangements or projects, and objectively took deceptive actions that caused others to believe them.

What are the punishment provisions for engaging in two-faced behavior or being a two-faced person?

The "Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Actions" stipulates that those who are disloyal and dishonest to the Party, are insincere, outwardly comply but secretly defy, deceive their superiors and conceal facts from them, engage in two-faced behavior, act as two-faced individuals, and cause negative political influence will receive a warning or serious warning; those with more serious circumstances will have their Party membership revoked or face a probationary period; and those with particularly serious circumstances will have their Party membership revoked.

Our Party has always resolutely opposed two-faced behavior and two-faced individuals. Article 3 of the Party Constitution lists "being loyal and honest to the Party, and being consistent in words and deeds," and "opposing the two-faced behavior of outwardly complying but secretly defying and all conspiracies and schemes" as obligations that Party members must fulfill. "Loyalty to the Party" is included in the Party oath. The "Several Regulations on Intra-Party Political Life Under the New Situation" stipulates that "all levels of Party organizations and all Party members must be loyal and honest to the Party, open and aboveboard, speak truthfully, do honest things, and be honest people." and "oppose two-faced behavior and "two-faced people." Many cases show that some people in the Party have prominent problems in this regard, saying one thing but doing another, behaving differently in public and private, and having a different face in front of people compared to behind their backs. This is deeply hidden and very harmful.

The essential characteristic of outwardly complying but secretly defying is, in terms of behavior, that while ostensibly complying with the decisions and deployments of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, they secretly violate them. This is a prominent manifestation of political degeneration.

In this revision of the "Regulations," the phrase "less serious circumstances" in the relevant clauses of the 2018 "Regulations" has been changed to "causing negative political influence," further clarifying that outwardly complying but secretly defying two-faced behavior must have political harm. The fundamental standard for judging whether someone is engaging in two-faced behavior is the political standard—whether they are loyal and honest to the Party, and whether their outward and inward behavior shows prominent two-sidedness and political harmfulness.

Engaging in two-faced behavior violates the obligations of Party members, harms the unity and solidarity of the Party, harms the interests of the Party and the people, weakens the Party's organization, depletes the Party's credibility, harms the Party's image, and is highly damaging. Party members and cadres must strictly abide by the requirements of the Party Constitution and the standards, and in accordance with the provisions of the "Regulations," be truly loyal and honest to the Party organization, open and frank, and consistent in words and deeds.