Xi Jinping chairs meeting of Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee

The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held a meeting on December 6 to analyze economic work in 2023, hear a briefing on the work of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the CPC and the National Supervisory Commission, and make arrangements for improving Party conduct, building a clean and honest government, and combating corruption in 2023. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting.

It was noted at the meeting that this year is extremely important in the history of the Party and the country. Facing the turbulent international environment and arduous tasks of strengthening domestic reform, development and stability, the CPC Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, has united and led the whole Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups in rising to challenges. As a result, macro-control has been intensified, the quality of development improved, achievements have been made in scientific and technological innovation, reform and opening-up has been deepened, employment and prices have been kept basically stable, and food and energy security as well as people's livelihood have been ensured. The overall economic and social stability has been maintained.

This year, the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics were successfully held. The 20th CPC National Congress was also successfully convened, and solid steps have been taken on the new journey to build a modern socialist country in all respects.

It was stressed at the meeting that 2023 will be the first year for the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress to be implemented in a comprehensive manner.

To do a good job in our economic work next year, we must follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress, solidly advance Chinese modernization, adhere to the general principle of seeking progress in a stable manner, implement the new vision for development in a complete, accurate and comprehensive manner, and accelerate efforts to foster a new development pattern and pursue high-quality development. Efforts are also required to better coordinate epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development, and development with security.

To make a good start in building a modern socialist country in all respects, efforts are also needed to deepen reform and opening-up across the board, boost market confidence, integrate the implementation of strategy to expand domestic demand with the efforts to deepen supply-side structural reform, give priority to the work of ensuring steady growth, employment, and stable prices, effectively forestall and defuse major risks, promote the overall improvement in economic operation to achieve both qualitative and quantitative growth.

It was noted at the meeting that special attention will be paid to steady growth in the coming year, pursuing progress while ensuring stability. Proactive fiscal policy and prudent monetary policy will continue to be implemented, efforts will be made to coordinate different policies and optimize epidemic responses, so as to form synergy for high-quality development. The proactive fiscal policy should be intensified for its effectiveness, and the prudent monetary policy should be targeted and effective. Industrial policies should boost development and security, and policies concerning science and technology will focus on self-reliance and self-improvement. Social policies must ensure people's livelihood. Further efforts will be made to expand domestic demand and give full play to the fundamental role of consumption and the key role of investment. Work was emphasized at the meeting to speed up modernizing the industrial system and strengthen the resilience of industrial and supply chains and their security as well. The basic policies will be strengthened to unswervingly consolidate and develop the public sector while encouraging, supporting and guiding the development of the non-public sector so that the socialist modernization endeavors will be injected with fresh dynamism and vitality. Work will be done to boost opening up at a higher level and to further attract and make good use of foreign investment. Effective approaches will be adopted to defuse major economic and financial hazards and guard against systemic risks.

It was stressed at the meeting that the Party’s overall leadership over economic work must be strengthened, and the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress must be studied, understood and implemented comprehensively. The mechanism of implementing the major decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee must be optimized. Down-to-earth efforts must be made to unleash the whole society’s vitality for initiative, so as to ensure that officials and enterprises dare to make decisions on their own while local authorities and residents dare to blaze new trails. Efforts must be coordinated to ensure stable supply and price of important commodities for people’s lives, and guarantee the delivery and supply of coal, electricity, oil and natural gas. Enough concern must be shown to the livelihood and work of people in difficulty, make sure that migrant workers are paid on time, and workplace safety and disaster control and prevention work must be strengthened to safeguard social harmony and stability.

It was pointed out at the meeting that great efforts have been made in the past 10 years in exercising full and strict governance of the Party, and the fight against corruption has won an overwhelming victory and the success has been fully consolidated, but there is still a long way to go. We must always stay alert and determined to tackle the challenges unique to a big political party, remain resolute and persistent in the never-ending fight against corruption, and further strengthen our political resolve to exercise full and strict governance of the Party. We must maintain the keynote of strictness, the rigorous measures, and the strict atmosphere for a long time to come, carrying out the Party's great self-reform in the new era to the end. Discipline inspection and supervision organs must always adhere to the Party's founding mission, faithfully fulfill the duties entrusted to them by the Party Constitution and the Constitution, and resolutely implement the Party's strategic plan for self-reform and the strategic principle of exercising full and strict governance of the Party. They must work ceaselessly to improve Party conduct, enforce Party discipline and fight corruption, push for the improvement of the Party and state oversight systems, build an iron team of disciplinary inspection and supervision, and promote high-quality development of discipline inspection and supervision work, thus providing a strong guarantee for the realization of the Party's mission and tasks in the new era and on the new journey.

It was stressed at the meeting that the spirit of the Party’s 20th National Congress must be firmly adhered to and fully implemented, and the authority and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee must be upheld through strong political oversight, so as to promptly identify and punish those performing ill deeds of cronyism, forming cliques and factions, making anonymous false accusations, buying support, making lavish promises, agreeing overtly but opposing covertly and acting wantonly and issuing groundless criticism of the CPC Central Committee decisions and policies.

The central Party leadership’s eight-point decision must be constantly strengthened to improve conduct, crack down on all forms of decadence for hedonism and extravagance on a timely manner, and strictly investigate and punish disciplinary violations. Approaches must be adopted to resolutely prevent the rebound and the hidden mutation of unhealthy conduct and violations, and the fight against abuse of power should never be slackened because of fatigue. Efforts should be focused on rectifying meaningless formalities and bureaucracy and close attention be paid to excessive implementation of policies, slackness and negligence in the work, willful use of power, lack of responsibility and inaction. Targeted measures must be adopted to address these problems. 

Prominence must be given to the role of discipline. Requirements for strictness must be implemented throughout the whole process of formulating Party regulations, Party discipline education, and Party discipline enforcement and supervision, so that the disciplines and regulations bite so as to let officials know where to toe the line.

We will fight a tough and protracted battle against corruption with the spirit of complete self-reform. We will take it as the most important work to thoroughly investigate, severely punish those reckless corrupt officials who did not mend their ways and behave since the 18th CPC National Congress. Focus will be placed on cases in which lack of political integrity and corruption are intertwined. Efforts will be redoubled to crack down on corruption in areas where power is concentrated, capital is intensive, and resources are abundant. Work will be done to resolutely punish corrupt officials known as "flies" at lower levels. We will further eradicate breeding grounds for corruption. Work must be done to improve the Party and state supervisory system, give full play to the role of political inspection, and strengthen the effective oversight of "top leaders" and leading groups.

Prior to this meeting, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, during which a briefing was given on the work of the CCDI and the National Supervisory Commission and the preparations for the second plenary session of the 20th CCDI.

It was agreed at the meeting that the session is scheduled  from January 9 to 11 next year.

Other issues were also discussed at the meeting.