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)

Main Content of the "Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Actions"

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party has revised the "Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Actions" three times, sending a strong signal that the Party's strict governance is becoming increasingly stringent, and that discipline enforcement will be stricter in the future. This provides a basic basis for the disciplinary inspection and supervision organs to strictly enforce discipline.

Broad Party members should take the study and implementation of the newly revised "Regulations" as an important political task, deeply understand the key content and focus of the revised "Regulations," strengthen self-discipline, improve immunity, enhance the spirit of undertaking and making achievements, and make new contributions on the new journey of the new era.

What disciplinary actions are there for Party members, and what are the durations of their effects?

The "Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Actions" stipulates that there are five types of disciplinary actions for Party members: warning, serious warning, removal from Party posts, probationary party membership, and expulsion from the Party.

A warning is an admonition given by the Party organization to a Party member who has violated discipline, to encourage them to recognize and correct their mistakes. A warning is the lightest Party disciplinary punishment and applies to Party members whose violations are minor but who must be given Party disciplinary punishment.
A serious warning is a lighter Party disciplinary punishment than a warning and applies to Party members whose violations are more serious in nature and circumstances.

Removal from Party posts is a more serious Party disciplinary punishment that applies to Party members whose mistakes are serious in nature and circumstances and who are no longer suitable to hold their current Party posts or one or more Party posts.

Probationary party membership is a more serious Party disciplinary punishment second only to expulsion from the Party and applies to Party members who have seriously violated discipline but have not yet lost the conditions for being a Communist Party member and are no longer suitable to hold their current Party posts.

Expulsion from the Party is the most serious Party disciplinary punishment and applies to Party members who have seriously violated discipline and have lost the conditions for being a Communist Party member.

Impact and consequences of warnings and serious warnings—

Within one year of receiving a warning, or within one and a half years of receiving a serious warning, a Party member may not be promoted or further employed within the Party, nor may they be recommended to an outside organization for a position higher than their original position or for further employment. The calculation of "within one year" and "within one and a half years" begins from the date the warning or serious warning is approved.

Impact and consequences of removal from Party posts—

Removal from Party posts refers to the removal of a Party member’s Party posts that were obtained through Party elections or organizational appointments. For those who hold more than one Party post, when making a disciplinary decision, the Party organization should clarify whether to remove all their posts or one or several posts. If it is decided to remove one post, the highest post held must be removed. If it is decided to remove two or more posts, they must be removed in order, starting from the highest post. For those who hold positions in non-Party organizations, the Party organization should recommend that the non-Party organization remove their non-Party positions.

For Party members who are dismissed from office during investigation and review because they are suspected of violating Party discipline, if they should be removed from their Party posts according to the provisions of these Regulations after the review, they should be removed from their Party posts according to their original posts. For those who should be removed from their Party posts but do not hold Party posts, they should be given a serious warning. At the same time, if they hold positions in non-Party organizations, the Party organization should recommend that the non-Party organization remove their non-Party positions.

Party members who are removed from their Party posts, or who are given a serious warning in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph, may not hold or be recommended to non-Party organizations for positions equivalent to or higher than their original positions within two years.

Impact and consequences of probationary party membership—

Probationary party membership is divided into one year and two years. For Party members who are given one year of probationary party membership, if they still do not meet the conditions for the restoration of their Party membership rights after the period expires, their probationary period should be extended by one year. The maximum probationary party membership period shall not exceed two years.

Party members under probationary party membership do not have the right to vote, the right to elect, or the right to be elected. During the probationary period, if a Party member shows genuine repentance, their Party membership rights will be restored after the period expires; if they persist in their wrongdoing or other violations of discipline are discovered, they should be expelled from the Party.

When a Party member is given probationary party membership, their Party posts are automatically revoked. For those who hold non-Party posts, the Party organization should recommend that the non-Party organization remove their non-Party posts. After the restoration of their Party membership rights, Party members who have been given probationary party membership may not hold or be recommended to non-Party organizations for positions equivalent to or higher than their original positions within two years. It should be noted that "within two years" here refers to two years from the date the Party organization approves the restoration of the Party member's membership rights, which is calculated from the date the probationary party membership period expires.

Impact and consequences of expulsion from the Party—

Party members who are expelled from the Party may not rejoin the Party within five years, nor may they be recommended for non-Party positions equivalent to or higher than their original positions. If there are other regulations prohibiting re-entry into the Party, they shall be followed.