Overseas observers have praised the resolve of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to strictly govern the party, saying it will enhance the party's governance capacity and help it lead China to an all-around moderately prosperous society.
The sixth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, which was held from Monday to Thursday, has pushed for the comprehensive and strict governance of the party.
For Khalid Mahood, president of Islamabad Council of World Affairs, the CPC's focus on strict party governance is "a historic step," which will not only improve the governance efficiency in China, but also enhance Chinese people's trust in the party and will improve the image of China and the CPC in the world.
"The reforms in the ruling party will also help China foster its comprehensive reform, maintain its economic growth and bring benefits to the world," Mahood said.
At the meeting, the CPC has called on all its members to "closely unite around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core," and resolutely safeguard the authority of the CPC Central Committee and its central, unified leadership.
This announcement will help China to establish a clean and righteous political environment and will unite the party under one strong leader, Mahood said.
The meeting also approved two documents on the discipline of the party, including the norms of political life within the party under the new situation and a regulation on intra-party supervision.
"The document on the norms of political life not only signals his (Xi's) determination to push for greater transparency in the decision-making process in local governance, but also shows the leadership's effort to bring them under a system (of) supervision," Mahood said.
Bambang Suryono, editor-in-chief of the Inhua Daily in Indonesia, said the documents signify the institutionalization of strict party governance, which will help curb corruption and disciplinary offence and ensure the progressiveness and purity of the CPC.
China's anti-corruption campaign has entered a "deep-water area" and establishing Xi as the core of the CPC Central Committee will help the party continue its drive to fight corruption, the political analyst said.
Gerhard Stahl, a professor at the College of Europe and former secretary-general of the committee of regions of the European Union, said the CPC is trying to adapt itself to a changing environment in an effort to grow into a modern political party.
Stahl said fighting corruption is the basis for economic development and strict party governance needs bottom-up supervision, calling on anti-corruption officials to be responsible while enhancing intra-party discipline.
The communique released after the CPC meeting stressed supervision as the fundamental guarantee for exercising power properly, as well as a crucial measure for regulating political life within the party, meaning that unrestricted power or unsupervised party members are not allowed to exist within the CPC, said Ge Lin, secretary-general of EU-China Friendship Group of the European Parliament.
He believes that regulating intra-party political life will be conducive to building a clean and righteous political environment and make party members more aware of the need to uphold political integrity, keep in mind the bigger picture, follow the CPC as the core of the Chinese leadership and act consistently with CPC Central Committee policy.
Nadia Hilmi, a professor of political science at Cairo University and an expert on China, said the meeting, which carefully studies disciplines and rules for intra-party political life and other issues, marks a qualitative leap in the governance of the CPC and the Chinese government and has shown the foresight and political wisdom of Chinese leaders.
Hilmi also praised China's anti-corruption efforts, which emphasize constructing an anti-corruption system and a moral defense line against corruption, saying that parties in other countries should learn from China.
The meeting is of great significance because it has injected fresh impetus into the 95-year-old party and ensures that the Party Constitution is the fundamental norm for intra-party political life, helping the CPC advance with time and improve its abilities of handling problems in new situations, the expert said.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress held in November 2012, the party has made remarkable achievements in its anti-corruption campaign, which has won recognition both at home and abroad, said Macharia Munene, professor of international relations at the U.S. International University in Nairobi.
The sixth plenary session considered being strict in discipline as an important part of intra-party political life and the correct direction of its comprehensive and strict governance, Munene said, adding that the party has a clear mind and accurate judgement in anti-corruption and strict party governance.
