Xi Jinping Delivers Important Speech at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection

On the morning of the 12th, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the People’s Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered an important speech at the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China. He emphasized the need to uphold and strengthen the Party’s overall leadership, advance comprehensive and rigorous Party governance with higher standards and more concrete measures, implement the major decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee with greater resolve and effectiveness, cage power more scientifically and effectively within institutional constraints, and carry forward the fight against corruption with greater clarity and determination, so as to provide strong guarantees for achieving the goals and tasks set for the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, and Ding Xuexiang, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, attended the meeting. Li Xi, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, presided over the meeting.

Xi Jinping pointed out that in 2025, the Party Central Committee deepened its efforts to promote integrity and clean governance and combat corruption, achieving remarkable results. Political oversight was strengthened, and political inspections were deepened, effectively ensuring the thorough implementation of the Party Central Committee’s major decisions and arrangements; in-depth study and education on the spirit of the CPC Central Committee’s Eight-Point Decision on Improving Conduct were carried out in a solid and systematic manner, further promoting the transformation of work styles and the cultivation of a new ethos throughout the Party; a high-pressure anti-corruption stance was maintained, with joint investigations and treatment of both misconduct and corruption, and intensified efforts to address unhealthy practices and corruption affecting the people at the grassroots level, with a focus on eradicating the conditions and environments that breed corruption.

Xi Jinping emphasized that faithfully implementing the major decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee is both a fundamental requirement for upholding the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership, and an important historical lesson learned from the continuous development and progress of the cause of the Party and the people. The 15th Five-Year Plan period is a crucial stage for consolidating the foundation and making all-round efforts to basically achieve socialist modernization. Party organizations at all levels, as well as the broad ranks of Party members and cadres, must strengthen their sense of political responsibility and historical mission, and translate the decisions and arrangements adopted at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee into concrete actions. We must focus closely on implementing the new development philosophy, promoting high-quality development, and accelerating the establishment of a new development paradigm; concentrate on building a modern industrial system, developing new-quality productive forces in light of local conditions, establishing a unified national market, expanding high-standard opening-up, steadily advancing common prosperity for all the people, institutionalizing measures to prevent relapse into or falling into poverty, resolving local governments’ hidden debt, strengthening ecological and environmental protection, and coordinating development with security. To this end, we need to intensify targeted, precise, and routine oversight and inspection, make effective use of inspection findings, strengthen supervision over rectification, and ensure that the major decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee are fully implemented. All regions and departments should, in light of their specific circumstances, earnestly explore effective methods and approaches for implementing these major decisions and arrangements. This year, local leadership transitions will begin; we must ensure that truly loyal, reliable, consistent in word and deed, and committed and responsible cadres are appointed to key positions.

Xi Jinping pointed out that the Party’s self-revolution hinges on the proper exercise of power, and that confining power within the cage of institutions is a crucial task in the new era of comprehensively and rigorously governing the Party. Following the 18th National Congress of the Party, the CPC Central Committee initiated this effort by formulating and implementing the Eight-Point Decision on Improving Conduct, establishing ironclad rules and stringent constraints that have brought about a marked improvement in the Party’s style of work and government conduct. To confine power within the institutional cage, we must not only continuously refine institutional provisions to ensure they are comprehensive yet concise and effectively enforceable, but also focus on strengthening the enforcement of these institutions and enhancing their binding force. We must uphold the principle that all are equal before laws and regulations, that there are no privileges in observing them, and that there are no exceptions in enforcing them, so as to ensure that institutional provisions truly function as live high-voltage lines. The principal leader must take the lead in complying with these institutions. We must intensify publicity and education on laws and regulations, guiding Party members and cadres to understand the law and discipline, clearly grasp the rules, and cultivate a sense of reverence. Furthermore, we need to enhance transparency in Party and government affairs, ensuring that power operates in the light of day.

Xi Jinping emphasized that corruption is a major obstacle and stumbling block in the cause of the Party and the country, and that combating corruption is a crucial struggle that we cannot afford to lose and must never lose. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, our Party has successfully forged a path of anti-corruption with Chinese characteristics—under the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee—that addresses both the symptoms and root causes, and integrates efforts to ensure that no one dares to be corrupt, no one can be corrupt, and no one wants to be corrupt—and we must steadfastly continue along this path. At present, the situation in the fight against corruption remains grave and complex, and the task of eradicating the conditions and soil that breed corruption remains arduous and daunting. We must maintain an unrelenting high-pressure stance: wherever corruption is found, it must be punished; wherever greed is detected, it must be purged; and all evil must be eliminated without exception, leaving no safe haven for corrupt elements. We must grasp the new trends and characteristics of corruption, innovate our methods and approaches, improve the mechanism for implementing anti-corruption responsibilities, promptly detect, accurately identify, and effectively address all types of corruption, and continuously enhance the penetrating power of our anti-corruption efforts. Moreover, we must redouble our efforts to promote integrated advancement, strengthen systemic thinking, enhance coordinated collaboration, and seamlessly integrate oversight across all domains, so as to leverage full-chain cooperation in advancing integrated governance.

Xi Jinping pointed out that disciplinary inspection and supervision organs bear a major responsibility and a glorious mission in advancing the Party’s self-revolution and exercising full and rigorous governance over the Party. They must steadfastly safeguard the Party’s unity and solidarity and resolutely defend the Party’s advanced nature and purity. It is essential to continuously strengthen the standardization, rule of law, and institutionalization of disciplinary inspection and supervision work, constantly enhancing the quality and effectiveness of oversight, discipline enforcement, and law enforcement. In accordance with the requirements of political strength, strong competence, a sound work style, and strict integrity, we must make concerted efforts to forge an iron contingent of disciplinary inspectors and supervisors who are loyal, clean, responsible, and courageous in fighting and adept at doing so.

While presiding over the meeting, Li Xi pointed out that General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech fully affirmed the remarkable achievements made over the past year in exercising full and rigorous governance over the Party, and, with an eye on the critical period for basically achieving socialist modernization, laid out a strategic plan for advancing such governance to even higher standards and through more concrete measures, thereby providing strong guarantees for realizing the goals and tasks set for the 15th Five-Year Plan period. The speech is characterized by its lofty vision, broad perspective, profound thinking, and rich substance, serving as the fundamental guiding principle for deepening the exercise of full and rigorous governance over the Party and the fight against corruption. It is imperative to thoroughly study and implement the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech, deeply appreciate the decisive significance of the “two establishments,” strengthen the “four consciousnesses,” bolster the “four confidences,” and ensure the “two safeguards.” We must conscientiously fulfill our political responsibility for exercising full and rigorous governance over the Party, and, with unyielding perseverance and steadfast commitment, unswervingly advance the Party’s self-revolution to greater depths.

Members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Secretaries of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, Vice Chairmen of the Central Military Commission, relevant leading comrades of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, State Councilors, the President of the Supreme People’s Court, the Procurator-General of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, relevant leading comrades of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, and members of the Central Military Commission attended the meeting.

Members of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, as well as principal officials from various departments of the CPC Central Committee and State Council, relevant people’s organizations, and military units, attended the meeting. The meeting was held via videoconference, with sub-venues set up in all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and relevant military units.

The Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China opened in Beijing on January 12. The session was presided over by the Standing Committee of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. On the afternoon of January 12, Li Xi delivered a work report on behalf of the Standing Committee, entitled “Promoting Comprehensive and Strict Governance of the Party with Higher Standards and More Concrete Measures to Provide Strong Guarantees for Achieving the Goals and Tasks During the 15th Five-Year Plan Period.”