The leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Wednesday adopted measures to standardize benefits of CPC and state leaders, such as offices, housing and staff, while outlining regulations for meetings on democratic life.
A document was passed at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee presided over by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.
A statement released after the meeting hailed the new rules as "an expansion and upgrade" to the Party's eight-point guidelines against bureaucracy and extravagance introduced four years ago.
Party and state leaders should vacate their offices in a timely manner after retiring, the statement said.
They should "travel without pomp," minimize impact on public life, and not have vehicles exceeding the set standards, it read.
Leaders should have the right size of staff as stipulated. They must step up education and management of their staff and strictly constrain their relatives and personnel.
They are also called for a limit on vacations and to strictly abide by the relevant approval system.
The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee will be the first to follow the new rules.
The statement said the new rules are of significant importance to the improvement of the Party's working style, showing that the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core is leading by example.
It ordered related departments to draft detailed plans to implement the new rules and strengthen supervision, stressing that they should be implemented without compromise.
"To forge an iron, one must be strong oneself," it said.
"The strict governance of the Party should start from officials, especially senior ones," it said. "Whatever you demand others do, you should first do yourself; whatever you forbid others to do, you should firmly forbid to yourself."
In addition, a trial regulation on the CPC's working organs and rules on "meetings on democratic life" for Party members and leading officials at or above county level was also adopted, it said.
The trial regulation, "based on traditions and experience while focusing on reform and innovation," contains rules concerning how issues are discussed and policies made in Party organs, it noted.
"Under the new circumstances, we must strengthen and standardize the work of the CPC's working organs as we carry forward with great struggles, promote Party building and push forward socialism with Chinese characteristics," the statement said.
The regulation is very important in improving the Party's ability to lead and govern, it noted.
Party committees at various levels should realize the importance and urgency of such work, and ensure that the regulation is fully implemented, it said.
Meetings on democratic life are an important part of intra-Party life as well as an important way to carry forward intra-Party democracy, strengthen intra-Party supervision and solve conflicts and problems.
Upholding and improving meetings on democratic life are key to ensuring Party unity, advancement and purity, it added.
The rules for meetings on democratic life aim to improve regulation of intra-Party political life, as well as guide Party officials to establish correct political consciousness, carry out criticism, maintain loyalty and responsibility.
Authorities should organize the 2016 annual democratic life meetings to analyze Party members' integrity by criteria such as loyalty, honesty, frugality and whether they insist on seeking truth from facts, it added.
