Party Discipline Study and Education

Study of the original text of "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 is political discipline? What are the acts that violate political discipline?

Chapter VI, Section 2 of the "Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Actions" stipulates the punishment for violating political discipline. The newly revised disciplinary regulations have a total of 28 articles in Chapter VI, with 2 new articles and 12 revised articles.
Political discipline is the code of conduct that all levels of Party organizations and all Party members must abide by in terms of political stance, direction, principles, and path. It is the fundamental guarantee for maintaining the unity of the Party. Among the Party's disciplines, political discipline is the most important, fundamental, and crucial discipline. It is the leading and overarching discipline. Adherence to political discipline and political rules is the premise and foundation for adhering to all Party disciplines.

The violations of political discipline stipulated in this chapter mainly include the following categories: failing to maintain consistency with the Party Central Committee on major issues of principle; publishing or disseminating remarks with serious political problems; failing to implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee; being disloyal or dishonest to the Party organization; lacking firm ideals and beliefs; engaging in words and deeds with political problems in external activities; dereliction of duty in fulfilling the political responsibility of governing the Party; violating political rules, etc.

Chapter VI of the newly revised disciplinary regulations, "Punishment for Violations of Political Discipline," has 28 articles, with 2 new articles and 12 revised articles. Article 55 was added to clarify the punishment for engaging in speculation and seeking personal gain, associating with political swindlers, and acting as a political swindler; Article 57 was added to enrich the punishment for Party and government officials whose performance evaluations are misaligned, violating the new development concept, and deviating from the requirements of high-quality development, adjusting the behavior of engaging in wasteful "image projects" and "performance projects" from violating mass discipline to violating political discipline. Article 52 was supplemented to include the punishment for privately reading, browsing, or listening to materials with serious political problems, with serious circumstances; Article 54 was supplemented to include the punishment for engaging in political favoritism; Article 56 was supplemented to include the punishment for disregarding the overall situation of the Party and the state and engaging in departmental or local protectionism, adjusting the behavior of only making statements but not implementing the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee from violating work discipline to violating political discipline; Article 69 clarifies that Party members who believe in religion should be given strengthened ideological education and are required to correct their mistakes within a time limit; Article 70 was supplemented to include the punishment for engaging in superstitious activities, promoting Party members to strengthen their ideals and beliefs, and always maintain their political integrity.

What are the provisions on punishment for publishing or disseminating remarks with serious political problems?

Articles 50, 51, and 52 of the "Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Actions" list a negative list of acts of publishing or disseminating remarks with serious political problems. The purpose is to strictly regulate the remarks of Party members, to guarantee the implementation of the four cardinal principles, the decisions on reform and opening up, and the major policies of the Party Central Committee with strict disciplinary punishments, to maintain the image of the Party and the state, to maintain the prestige of the Party and state leaders, to maintain the image of heroes and role models, to resolutely oppose acts that distort the history of the Party, the history of the People's Republic of China, and the history of the People's Liberation Army, and to maintain the unity of the Party.

1. Publicly publishing remarks that oppose or violate the four cardinal principles or the Party's decisions on reform and opening up

Party members and cadres who publicly publish articles, speeches, declarations, or statements upholding the stance of bourgeois liberalization, opposing the four cardinal principles, and opposing the Party's decisions on reform and opening up, in essence, fundamentally negate the Party's basic line, undermine the political situation of stability and unity, betray the Party's cause, and completely lose the conditions of being a Party member, should be given the punishment of expulsion from the Party. Party members and cadres who publicly publish remarks that violate the four cardinal principles, violate or distort the Party's decisions on reform and opening up, are different in nature and severity from the above-mentioned "opposition" behavior. "Violation" and "distortion" are misunderstandings and misinterpretations, while "opposition" is a direct and fundamental negation. For such behaviors, punishments should be given according to the severity of the circumstances, and serious cases should also be given the punishment of expulsion from the Party.

2. Wantonly discussing the major policies of the Party Central Committee

This is a prominent manifestation of violating political discipline and also violates the principle of democratic centralism stipulated in the Party Constitution. One of the "seven things that should not be done" is "being too big for one's britches and wantonly discussing the Central Committee." In the announcements of punishment for Party members and cadres who have violated discipline and law, there are also such statements, for example, Zhu Congjiu, former member of the Party group and vice chairman of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, "wantonly discussed the major policies and important decisions of the Party Central Committee," and Fu Zhenghua, former vice chairman of the Committee of Social and Legal Affairs of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, "wantonly discussed the major policies of the Party Central Committee." In disciplinary supervision, it has been found that some Party members and cadres "do not speak openly but talk behind their backs," "do not speak in meetings but talk after meetings," and "do not speak on stage but talk off stage." These behaviors of talking about the major policies of the Party Central Committee not only disrupt the thoughts of Party members and cadres but also undermine the unity of the Party and hinder the implementation of the major policies of the Party Central Committee. They must be dealt with seriously according to regulations and discipline.

3. Publicly publishing remarks that defame the image of the Party and the state

Resolutely opposing erroneous trends and viewpoints such as historical nihilism, consciously struggling against words and deeds that defame the image of the Party and the state, slander Party and state leaders, smear heroes and role models, and distort the history of the Party, is a Party spirit principle that every Party member must follow and a political responsibility that must be fulfilled. In disciplinary supervision, it has been found that some Party members and cadres distort Party history and the history of New China, attempting to negate the main theme, main line, and mainstream essence of the historical development of the Party; some maliciously allude to the Party's leadership under various pretexts, defaming and smearing Party and state leaders and heroes and role models; some use defamatory remarks to negate the achievements of the Party and the People's Liberation Army. These remarks have great political harm and must be dealt with seriously.

4. Producing, selling, disseminating, privately carrying, mailing, or privately reading, browsing, or listening to materials with serious political problems

Producing, selling, or disseminating newspapers, books, audio-visual products, electronic publications, and network texts, pictures, audio, and video materials with serious political problems, regardless of whether there is a profit-making motive, constitutes a disciplinary violation.
Privately carrying or mailing newspapers, books, audio-visual products, electronic publications, etc., with serious political problems into or out of the country, with relatively serious circumstances, will be given corresponding punishment. "Private carrying" here includes both covert and overt implementation; it includes both personal carrying or shipping and instigating others or organizing multiple people to carry.
Privately reading, browsing, or listening to newspapers, books, audio-visual products, electronic publications, and network texts, pictures, audio, and video materials with serious political problems, with serious circumstances, will be given corresponding punishment. This clause is newly added in this revision.
　　In addition, the "Regulations" also stipulate that Party members and cadres who provide convenience for the above three types of behaviors also violate political discipline and should be given corresponding punishment.