Upholding the Organic Unity of Law-Based Governance and Rule-Based Governance over the Party

When the rule of law prospers, the nation prospers; when the rule of law is strong, the nation is strong. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has positioned, laid out, and vigorously advanced the rule of law from the overall and strategic height of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics, incorporated law-based governance in all respects into the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy and advanced it with force, and made a series of major decisions and deployments. At the same time, the Party Central Committee has profoundly grasped the important law that “to govern the country, one must first govern the Party; to govern the Party, one must be strict; and to be strict, one must have rules,” elevating institutional governance of the Party and rule-based governance over the Party to an unprecedented strategic height, deploying and advancing them in concert with law-based governance. This has not only pushed the socialist rule-of-law system with Chinese characteristics toward greater perfection and enabled solid strides in building a rule-of-law China, but has also brought all aspects, the entire process, and all domains of Party governance and Party management onto a track of institutionalization, standardization, and proceduralization, driving comprehensive and strict governance of the Party to historic achievements and providing a strong political guarantee and rule-of-law safeguard for the development of the Party’s and the nation’s undertakings. On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the formal introduction of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, the Party Central Committee once again convened the Central Conference on Law-Based Governance in All Respects. General Secretary Xi Jinping issued important instructions on the work of law-based governance in all respects, demonstrating the Party Central Committee’s unwavering determination to advance rule-of-law construction and charting the fundamental direction for continuing to deepen law-based governance in all respects and upholding the organic unity of law-based governance and rule-based governance over the Party on the new journey.

法治兴则国兴，法治强则国强。党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央从坚持和发展中国特色社会主义的全局和战略高度定位法治、布局法治、厉行法治，把全面依法治国纳入“四个全面”战略布局予以有力推进，作出一系列重大决策部署。与此同时，党中央深刻把握“治国必先治党，治党务必从严，从严必依法度”的重要规律，将制度治党、依规治党提升到前所未有的战略高度，与依法治国一体部署、协同推进，不仅推动中国特色社会主义法治体系更加完善、法治中国建设迈出坚实步伐，更将管党治党各方面、全过程、各领域纳入制度化、规范化、程序化轨道，推动全面从严治党取得历史性成就，为党和国家事业发展提供了坚强政治保证和法治保障。在习近平法治思想正式提出5周年之际，党中央再次召开中央全面依法治国工作会议，习近平总书记对全面依法治国工作作出重要指示，彰显了党中央矢志不渝推进法治建设的坚定决心，为新征程上持续深化全面依法治国、坚持依法治国和依规治党有机统一指明了根本方向。

To continuously deepen the study, implementation, and dissemination of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, the *Outline for the Study of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law (2025 Edition)* has been officially published. This book systematically elucidates the great significance, core essence, spiritual substance, rich connotations, and practical requirements of Xi Jinping Thought on the Rule of Law, summarizing its main aspects into “Twelve Upholds” and explicitly designating “upholding the organic unity of law-based governance and rule-based governance over the Party” as the “Twelfth Uphold.” Upholding the organic unity of law-based governance and rule-based governance over the Party is a landmark major thesis. Proceeding from the strategic overall situation of ensuring the Party’s long-term governance and the nation’s enduring peace and stability, it profoundly reveals the distinctive characteristics of the socialist rule-of-law path with Chinese characteristics, marks a new height in our Party’s understanding of the laws of Communist Party governance, the laws of socialist construction, and the laws of human social development, deepens the understanding of the laws of the development of human political civilization, and provides the fundamental guidance for comprehensively building a modern socialist country on the track of the rule of law and deeply advancing the great new project of Party building in the New Era.

为将学习贯彻习近平法治思想持续引向深入，《习近平法治思想学习纲要（2025年版）》正式出版。该书系统阐释了习近平法治思想的重大意义、核心要义、精神实质、丰富内涵、实践要求，将其主要方面集中概括为“十二个坚持”，明确将“坚持依法治国和依规治党有机统一”作为“第十二个坚持”。坚持依法治国和依规治党有机统一，是一个具有里程碑意义的重大论断，从确保党长期执政和国家长治久安的战略全局出发，深刻揭示了中国特色社会主义法治道路的鲜明特质，标志着我们党对共产党执政规律、社会主义建设规律、人类社会发展规律的认识达到了新高度，深化了对人类政治文明发展规律的认识，为在法治轨道上全面建设社会主义现代化国家、深入推进新时代党的建设新的伟大工程提供了根本遵循。

Bringing into play the complementary role of law-based governance and rule-based governance over the Party

发挥依法治国和依规治党的互补性作用

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must bring into play the complementary role of law-based governance and rule-based governance over the Party.” The organic unity of law-based governance and rule-based governance over the Party originates from their complementarity across multiple dimensions. This complementarity is not a simple juxtaposition; rather, on the basis of a common origin in essence and a common direction in goals, it achieves functional integration and practical coherence, and ultimately, in the great practice of ensuring the Party’s law-based exercise of state power, advancing comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, and promoting law-based governance in all respects, the two complement each other and jointly serve the goal of comprehensively building a modern socialist country on the track of the rule of law.

习近平总书记指出：“要发挥依法治国和依规治党的互补性作用”。依法治国和依规治党的有机统一，源于二者在多个维度上的互补性。这种互补性并非简单并列，而是在本质同源、目标同向的基础上实现功能衔接与实践贯通，并最终在保障党依法执政、推进全面从严治党和全面依法治国的伟大实践中相辅相成，共同服务于在法治轨道上全面建设社会主义现代化国家的目标。

The two share a common origin in essence, both embodying the fundamental will of the Party and the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “Our Party’s policies and state laws are both reflections of the fundamental will of the people and are consistent in essence.” State laws are normative requirements for all citizens. The legislative work upholds the leadership of the Communist Party of China and embodies the will of the people, legalizing and institutionalizing the Party’s propositions and the people’s will through statutory procedures, representing the unity of Party spirit and people’s character. Intra-Party regulations are normative requirements for all Party members, directly embodying the Party’s will and propositions, and fundamentally safeguarding the fundamental interests of the broadest majority of the people, also representing the unity of Party spirit and people’s character. Law-based governance is the basic strategy by which the Party leads the people in governing the country; rule-based governance over the Party is the basic method of managing and governing the Party. Both are essentially methods of Party governance, ultimately aimed at realizing, safeguarding, and developing the fundamental interests of the broadest majority of the people.

二者本质同源，都体现了党和人民的根本意志。习近平总书记强调：“我们党的政策和国家法律都是人民根本意志的反映，在本质上是一致的。”国家法律是对全体公民的规范性要求，立法工作坚持中国共产党的领导、体现人民的意志，通过法定程序将党的主张和人民意志法律化、制度化，是党性和人民性的统一。党内法规是对全体党员的规范性要求，直接体现党的意志主张，从根本上讲维护的是最广大人民的根本利益，也是党性和人民性的统一。依法治国是党领导人民治理国家的基本方略，依规治党是管党治党的基本方式，两者本质上都属于党的治理方式，最终都是为了实现好、维护好、发展好最广大人民根本利益。

The two share a common direction in goals, unified in advancing the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must uphold the organic unity of law-based governance and rule-based governance over the Party, ensuring that the Party both governs the country according to the Constitution and laws and manages and strictly governs the Party according to intra-Party regulations.” The state legal system and the intra-Party regulations system are both important components of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. State laws regulate various relationships and affairs in the state and society; intra-Party regulations regulate the Party’s organization, the Party’s leadership over the state, and the management of Party organizations and members. The fundamental direction of both is to perfect and develop the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. On the new journey, for our Party to fulfill its major historical mission of governing and rejuvenating the country and to achieve enduring peace and stability for the Party and the state, it must coordinate the advancement and integrated construction of law-based governance and rule-based governance over the Party, simultaneously transforming the governance advantages of both into governance effectiveness, ultimately unifying them in the practical process of national governance modernization. This consistency in fundamental goals determines that the two must be deployed, advanced, and implemented together, forming a powerful institutional synergy.

二者目标同向，统一于推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化。习近平总书记指出：“要坚持依法治国和依规治党有机统一，确保党既依据宪法法律治国理政，又依据党内法规管党治党、从严治党。”国家法律体系与党内法规体系都是中国特色社会主义制度的重要组成部分，国家法律调整国家和社会中的各类关系和事务，党内法规规范党的组织、党对国家的领导以及对党组织和党员的管理。二者的根本指向，都是为了完善和发展中国特色社会主义制度。新征程上，我们党要履行好执政兴国的重大历史使命、实现党和国家长治久安，必须坚持依法治国和依规治党统筹推进、一体建设，将二者的治理优势同步转化为治理效能，最终统一于国家治理现代化的实践进程。这一根本目标的一致性，决定了二者必须同部署、同推进、同落实，形成强大的制度合力。

The two are complementary in function, constructing a pattern of coordinated effort and collaborative governance. State law is the great instrument of governing the country, possessing universal binding force and state coercive power, primarily regulating the external behavior of state organs, social organizations, and citizens, delineating behavioral baselines. Intra-Party regulations are the yardstick for governing the Party, possessing binding force within the Party and political coercive power, primarily regulating the work activities of Party organizations and the behavior of Party members, establishing behavioral high standards. Law-based governance provides the foundation and support for rule-based governance over the Party; its consciousness of rules and the concept of statutory powers inject elements of the rule of law into Party affairs. Rule-based governance over the Party provides guidance and guarantee for law-based governance, requiring Party cadres and members to lead the social trend of rule-of-law culture by taking the lead in respecting, studying, abiding by, and applying the law, and ensuring the implementation of state laws through strict intra-Party supervision. The two interconnect and reinforce each other, jointly forming a tight web of rules and creating a pattern where state laws and regulations and intra-Party regulations complement and guarantee each other.

二者功能互补，构建起同向发力、协同治理的格局。国家法律是治国之重器，具有普遍约束力和国家强制力，主要规范国家机关、社会组织和公民的外部行为，划出行为底线。党内法规是治党之标尺，具有党内约束力和政治强制力，主要规范党组织的工作活动和党员行为，确立行为高线。依法治国为依规治党提供基础和依托，其规则意识、权力法定观念为党务工作注入法治元素；依规治党为依法治国提供引领和保障，要求党员干部以带头尊法学法守法用法引领社会法治风尚，并通过严格的党内监督保障国家法律实施。二者相互衔接、相互促进，共同构成严密的规则之网，形成国家法律法规和党内法规制度相辅相成、相互保障的格局。

The two are interdependent in practice, running through the entire process of law-based governance in all respects and comprehensive and strict governance of the Party. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Law-based governance in all respects must grasp the ‘key minority’ of leading cadres.” Rule-based governance over the Party enforces strict Party discipline and rules, especially political discipline and political rules, ensuring that leading cadres exercise power on the track of the rule of law. Comprehensive and strict governance of the Party requires the use of rule-of-law thinking and rule-of-law methods, promptly elevating effective experiences and practices from the anti-corruption struggle into laws and regulations, achieving the organic unity of intra-Party supervision and state supervision, and of Party discipline inspection and state supervision. This requires promoting the integration of disciplinary enforcement and law enforcement, adhering to the principle that discipline is stricter than law and takes precedence over law, and making good use of the “two measures” of discipline and law. Practice shows that rule-of-law construction cannot be separated from the strong leadership of the Party and the exemplary compliance of Party cadres and members with state laws and regulations, and Party building also needs to be conducted within the framework of the rule of law. Upholding the organic unity of the two means making the process of law-based governance in all respects a process of deepening and expanding comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, and making the process of rule-based governance over the Party a process of consolidating and elevating rule-of-law thinking and rule-of-law methods, ultimately unifying them in the institutionalization, standardization, and proceduralization of the Party’s law-based exercise of state power, jointly safeguarding the authority of the Party and the state and the unity and solidarity of the entire Party and the whole nation.

二者实践相依，贯穿于全面依法治国和全面从严治党的全过程。习近平总书记指出：“全面依法治国必须抓住领导干部这个‘关键少数’。”依规治党严明党的纪律和规矩，特别是政治纪律和政治规矩，确保领导干部在法治轨道上行使权力。全面从严治党需要运用法治思维和法治方式，将反腐败斗争中行之有效的经验做法及时上升为法律法规，实现党内监督和国家监督、党的纪律检查和国家监察的有机统一。这要求促进执纪执法贯通，坚持纪严于法、纪在法前，用好纪法“两把尺子”。实践表明，法治建设离不开党的坚强领导和党员干部对国家法律法规的模范遵守，党的建设也需要在法治框架下进行。坚持二者有机统一，就是要使全面依法治国的过程成为全面从严治党深化拓展的过程，使依规治党的过程成为法治思维和法治方式巩固提升的过程，最终统一于党依法执政的制度化、规范化、程序化，共同维护党和国家权威、维护全党全国团结统一。

Comprehensively advancing law-based governance, consolidating the rule-of-law foundation for the enduring peace and stability of the Party and the state

全面推进依法治国，夯实党和国家长治久安的法治根基

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Advancing law-based governance in all respects is a profound transformation in national governance.” Within the organic unity of law-based governance and rule-based governance over the Party, the former plays a foundational role in setting rules for the country, defining boundaries for society, and delineating limits for power. It is not only the inevitable choice for the Party to lead the people in achieving good laws and good governance and the core engine for advancing the modernization of national governance, but also provides the fundamental rule-of-law guarantee for the in-depth development and correct direction of rule-based governance over the Party. Profoundly understanding and consistently upholding law-based governance as the Party’s basic strategy for governing the country is an important prerequisite for realizing the coordinated advancement and integrated construction of law-based governance and rule-based governance over the Party.

习近平总书记指出：“推进全面依法治国是国家治理的一场深刻变革”。在依法治国和依规治党的有机统一体中，前者扮演着为国家立规矩、为社会定方圆、为权力划边界的基础性角色。它不仅是党领导人民实现良法善治的必然选择和推进国家治理现代化的核心引擎，也为依规治党得以深入发展、坚持正确方向提供了根本法治保障。深刻认识并始终坚持依法治国这一党治国理政的基本方略，是实现依法治国和依规治党统筹推进、一体建设的重要前提。

Law-based governance is the rule-of-law guarantee for upholding the Party’s leadership and ensuring the Party’s long-term governance. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “Socialist rule of law must uphold Party leadership; Party leadership must rely on socialist rule of law.” The relationship between the Party and the law is a concentrated reflection of the relationship between politics and the rule of law. Law-based governance is a proposition put forward and advanced by our Party together with the people. Only by governing the country according to law under the Party’s leadership can the people’s position as masters of the country be fully realized, and the institutionalization and legalization of state and social life be advanced in an orderly manner. Law-based governance first of all means that the Party itself must operate within the framework of the Constitution and laws, and govern the country and administer state affairs in accordance with the Constitution and laws. The Constitution establishes the Party’s leadership position in the form of the fundamental law of the state. Law-based governance precisely institutionalizes and legalizes the Party’s leadership through the Constitution and laws, ensuring that the Party’s core leadership role of exercising overall leadership and coordinating the efforts of all sides is fully realized. It requires that the Party’s propositions be turned into the will of the state through statutory procedures, transformed into laws and regulations, and become norms of conduct to be followed by the whole society. At the same time, law-based governance, by constructing a complete system of legal norms, an efficient system for implementing the rule of law, a rigorous system for supervising the rule of law, and a powerful system for guaranteeing the rule of law, sets behavioral boundaries and operational procedures for all subjects exercising public power, including Party organizations at all levels and Party cadres, thereby preventing the abuse of power. This provides a stable and reliable institutional environment for the Party to exercise power scientifically, democratically, and in accordance with the law, which is crucial for consolidating the Party’s governing foundation and ensuring the long-term stability and security of the Party and the state.

依法治国是坚持党的领导、确保党长期执政的法治保障。习近平总书记指出：“社会主义法治必须坚持党的领导，党的领导必须依靠社会主义法治。”党和法的关系是政治和法治关系的集中反映。依法治国是我们党提出并带领人民推进的，只有在党的领导下依法治国，人民当家作主才能充分实现，国家和社会生活制度化、法治化才能有序推进。依法治国，首先意味着党自身必须在宪法法律范围内活动，依据宪法法律治国理政。宪法以国家根本法的形式确立了党的领导地位，依法治国正是通过宪法法律将党的领导制度化、法治化，确保党总揽全局、协调各方的领导核心作用得以充分实现。它要求善于使党的主张通过法定程序成为国家意志，转化为法律法规，成为全社会一体遵循的行为规范。同时，依法治国通过构建完备的法律规范体系、高效的法治实施体系、严密的法治监督体系、有力的法治保障体系，为包括各级党组织和党员干部在内的所有行使公权力的主体设定行为边界和运行程序，防止权力滥用。这就为党科学执政、民主执政、依法执政提供了稳定可靠的制度环境，关乎巩固党的执政根基、实现党和国家长治久安。

Law-based governance is the basic method for advancing the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity. The rule of law is an important pillar of the national governance system and governance capacity. Law-based governance focuses on bringing all undertakings and work of the state fully into the orbit of the rule of law. Its core function lies in regulating the exercise of public power and protecting citizens’ rights. Through scientific legislation, it constructs a system of legal norms with the Constitution at its core, covering all fields, providing authoritative, unified, and stable rule-based foundations for national governance. Through strict law enforcement and fair administration of justice, it ensures the effective implementation of the law, upholds social fairness and justice, and settles disputes and stops conflicts. Through law-abidingness by all the people, it fosters a culture of respect for the rule of law throughout society, forming a favorable environment where affairs are handled according to law, problems are resolved by recourse to law, and conflicts are settled by relying on the law. This entire set of rule-of-law operational mechanisms promotes the institutionalization, standardization, and proceduralization of governance, can reduce governance costs and enhance governance efficiency, and is an important feature and inevitable requirement of modern state governance. State laws possess universal binding force and the coercive power of the state, providing a fundamental and universal rule framework for all fields of national governance, including economic development, political construction, cultural development, social development, and ecological civilization construction. They are an irreplaceable cornerstone for comprehensively building a modern socialist country on the track of the rule of law. Therefore, the level of law-based governance directly determines the degree of modernization of national governance.

依法治国是推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化的基本方式。法治是国家治理体系和治理能力的重要依托。依法治国着眼于将国家各项事业和各项工作全面纳入法治轨道，其核心功能在于规范公权力运行、保障公民权利。它通过科学立法，构建以宪法为核心、覆盖各领域的法律规范体系，为国家治理提供权威、统一、稳定的规则依据；通过严格执法和公正司法，确保法律有效实施，维护社会公平正义，定分止争；通过全民守法，培育全社会法治信仰，形成办事依法、遇事找法、解决问题用法、化解矛盾靠法的良好环境。这一整套法治运行机制，推动实现治理的制度化、规范化、程序化，能够降低治理成本、提升治理效能，是现代国家治理的重要特征和必然要求。国家法律具有普遍约束力和国家强制力，为包括经济建设、政治建设、文化建设、社会建设、生态文明建设等在内的国家治理领域提供基础性、通用性的规则框架，是在法治轨道上全面建设社会主义现代化国家不可替代的基石。因此，依法治国的水平直接决定着国家治理现代化的程度。

Law-based governance is the foundation and support for the effective advancement of rule-based governance over the Party. Although law-based governance and rule-based governance over the Party have different emphases, in practice they support each other and are inseparable. On the one hand, law-based governance provides a solid foundation and environment for rule-based governance over the Party. State laws set the baseline for the conduct of all citizens and legal persons. While emphasizing that “Party discipline is stricter than the law,” intra-Party regulations must first ensure that their provisions do not conflict with state laws, and the activities of Party organizations and Party members must be conducted within the framework of the Constitution and laws. The deepening of law-based governance, which establishes concepts of rule consciousness, procedural thinking, and the principle of statutory powers and responsibilities throughout society, provides mature rule-of-law concepts for reference and fertile social soil for the formulation and implementation of intra-Party regulations. On the other hand, the rule-of-law literacy required by law-based governance is a prerequisite for Party cadres to abide by the Party Constitution and intra-Party regulations. Party cadres taking the lead in respecting, studying, abiding by, and applying the law is an important guarantee for the strict implementation of intra-Party regulations. The universal implementation of state laws helps enhance Party cadres’ ability to use rule-of-law thinking and rule-of-law methods to solve problems, enabling them to more consciously internalize the spirit of the rule of law and externalize it in action, thereby more proactively abiding by Party discipline and rules that are stricter than the law. At the same time, the effective practice of law-based governance, especially the supervision and restriction of the exercise of public power, constitutes extensive and powerful supervision over Party organizations and Party cadres, forming a synergy with intra-Party supervision and jointly promoting the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party to develop in depth. Without the construction of a rule-of-law state as a support, rule-based governance over the Party may lose its external reference benchmark and supervisory constraints, making it difficult to sustain and deepen.

依法治国是依规治党有效推进的基础和依托。依法治国和依规治党虽各有侧重，但在实践中相互支撑、密不可分。一方面，依法治国为依规治党提供坚实的基础和环境。国家法律为所有公民和法人的行为划定了底线。党内法规在强调“纪严于法”的同时，必须首先保证其规定不与国家法律相抵触，党组织和党员的活动必须在宪法法律框架内进行。依法治国的深入推进，在全社会树立的规则意识、程序观念、权责法定原则，为党内法规的制定与执行提供了成熟的法治理念借鉴和丰沃的社会土壤。另一方面，依法治国所要求的法治素养是党员干部遵守党章和党内法规的前提。党员干部带头尊法学法守法用法，是党内法规得以严格执行的重要保证。国家法律的普遍实施，有助于增强党员干部运用法治思维和法治方式解决问题的能力，使其更自觉地将法治精神内化于心、外化于行，从而更主动地遵守比法律更严的党规党纪。同时，依法治国的有效实践，特别是对公权力运行的监督与制约，构成了对党组织和党员干部广泛有力的监督，与党内监督形成合力，共同推动全面从严治党向纵深发展。没有法治国家建设作为依托，依规治党就可能失去外在的参照基准和监督制约，难以持久深入。

Taking rule-based governance over the Party as the basic method for managing and governing the Party, forever preserving the Party’s advanced nature and purity.

把依规治党作为管党治党的基本方式，永葆党的先进性纯洁性

General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out: “Only when rule-based governance over the Party penetrates the hearts of Party members can law-based governance penetrate the hearts of the people.” This important thesis not only elucidates the leading and guiding role of rule-based governance over the Party for law-based governance, but also reveals the extreme importance of managing and governing the Party through institutionalized means for forever preserving the Party’s advanced nature and purity and consolidating the Party’s governing foundation. Only by firmly grasping the key link of rule-based governance over the Party, clarifying behavioral norms with a sound system of intra-Party regulations, and maintaining the authority of regulations with strict institutional implementation, can the Party’s practice of self-revolution be brought onto a standardized, institutionalized, and proceduralized track, thereby consolidating the popular foundation for law-based governance.

习近平总书记深刻指出：“依规治党深入党心，依法治国才能深入民心。”这一重要论断，不仅阐明了依规治党对依法治国的引领性、先导性作用，更揭示了以制度化方式管党治党对于永葆党的先进性纯洁性、巩固党的执政根基的极端重要性。只有紧紧抓住依规治党这一关键环节，以健全的党内法规体系明确行为规范，以严格的制度执行维护法规权威，才能将党的自我革命实践纳入规范化、制度化、程序化轨道，夯实依法治国的民心根基。

Taking the Party Constitution as the fundamental guideline, building a solid institutional cornerstone for rule-based governance over the Party. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “The Party Constitution is the general charter of the Party, which centrally embodies the Party’s nature and purpose, the Party’s theories, line, principles, and policies, and the Party’s important propositions, stipulates the Party’s important systems and institutional mechanisms, and is the fundamental norm of conduct that the entire Party must jointly abide by.” To improve the system of intra-Party regulations, the Party Constitution must be taken as the fundamental basis; to judge the performance of Party organizations at all levels and Party cadres, the Party Constitution must be taken as the basic standard; to resolve contradictions within the Party, the Party Constitution must be taken as the fundamental rule. The practice since the 18th National Congress of the CPC [3]3 The 18th National Congress of the CPC was held in 2012, marking the beginning of the New Era under Xi Jinping’s leadership and the launch of the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party campaign. has irrefutably proven that various problems emerging in the intra-Party political ecosystem, and violations of Party discipline and rules by leading Party cadres, often trace their roots back to deviations from the requirements of the Party Constitution. Therefore, the authority of the Party Constitution must be upheld, supervision and inspection of compliance with and implementation of the Party Constitution must be strengthened, and various acts violating the Party Constitution must be resolutely corrected, ensuring that the entire Party unites into “a solid piece of steel” on a common ideological, political, and action foundation.

以党章为根本遵循，筑牢依规治党的制度基石。习近平总书记指出：“党章是党的总章程，集中体现了党的性质和宗旨、党的理论和路线方针政策、党的重要主张，规定了党的重要制度和体制机制，是全党必须共同遵守的根本行为规范。”健全党内法规体系，要以党章为根本依据；判断各级党组织和党员干部的表现，要以党章为基本标准；解决党内矛盾，要以党章为根本规则。党的十八大以来的实践雄辩证明，党内政治生态中出现的种种问题，党员领导干部违反党规党纪的行为，追根溯源往往在于背离了党章要求。因此，必须维护党章权威，加强对遵守党章、执行党章情况的督促检查，坚决纠正各种违反党章的行为，确保全党在共同的思想基础、政治基础、行动基础上团结成“一块坚硬的钢铁”。

Adhering to the principle that Party discipline is stricter than the law and takes precedence over the law, managing and governing the Party with strict discipline. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “The Party’s nature and purpose determine that Party discipline is stricter than the law and takes precedence over the law.” The Party’s vanguard nature and governing position determine that Party discipline must inevitably be stricter than state laws. This fully reflects the internal logic of our Party’s insistence on higher standards and stricter requirements for its own members. Countless cases prove that Party members’ “breaking of the law” invariably begins with “breaking of discipline.” Only by putting Party discipline and rules first and using discipline to manage the majority can the mistaken mindset that “violating discipline is just a minor matter, only breaking the law needs to be dealt with” be effectively overcome, achieving early detection and early intervention, and preventing problems before they arise. It is necessary to deepen the application of the “four forms” of supervision and discipline enforcement [4]4 The “four forms” of supervision and discipline enforcement refer to a graduated system of disciplinary measures: (1) criticism and self-criticism, and “red-faced and sweating” conversations; (2) light disciplinary actions; (3) heavy disciplinary actions and major post adjustments; (4) investigation and punishment for serious violations., especially making greater efforts in using the first form, making “red-faced and sweating” the norm, and nipping problems in the bud. Emphasis must be placed on strengthening political discipline and organizational discipline, driving comprehensive strictness in discipline on clean governance, mass line, work, and daily life, so that iron discipline truly transforms into the daily habits and conscious compliance of Party cadres, fundamentally reversing the lax and soft situation in managing and governing the Party, maintaining the Party’s physical health, and forever preserving the Party’s vitality.

坚持纪严于法、纪在法前，用严明的纪律管党治党。习近平总书记强调：“党的性质、宗旨都决定了纪严于法、纪在法前。”党的先锋队性质和执政地位，决定了党的纪律必然严于国家法律。这充分体现了我们党对自身成员坚持更高标准、更严要求的内在逻辑。无数案例证明，党员“破法”，无不始于“破纪”。只有把党的纪律和规矩挺在前面，用纪律管住大多数，才能有效克服“违纪只是小节、违法才去处理”的思维误区，实现抓早抓小、防微杜渐。必须深化运用监督执纪“四种形态”，特别是在用好第一种形态上下更大功夫，让红脸出汗成为常态，把问题解决在萌芽状态。要重点强化政治纪律和组织纪律，带动廉洁纪律、群众纪律、工作纪律、生活纪律全面从严，使铁的纪律真正转化为党员干部的日常习惯和自觉遵循，根本扭转管党治党宽松软状况，维护党的肌体健康，永葆党的生机活力。

Equal emphasis must be placed on perfecting the system and strengthening enforcement, so that ironclad rules take effect and prohibitions carry authority. Through long-term efforts, especially the revolutionary forging since the New Era, our Party has already formed a relatively complete system of intra-Party regulations, providing a solid institutional foundation for rule-based governance over the Party. Looking to the future, we must continue to perfect the system of intra-Party regulations and further tighten the institutional cage. “When decrees are enforced, discipline naturally rectifies itself; then there is no state that is not well governed, and no people that are not transformed.” [5]5 A classical allusion from the Song dynasty text *Baogong Ji* (Collected Works of Lord Bao), attributed to the official Bao Zheng (999–1062), emphasizing that strict enforcement of laws and decrees leads to social order and moral transformation. At the same time, it must be recognized that the vitality of institutions lies in their implementation. Currently, problems still exist in the implementation of intra-Party regulations, such as “hot at the top, warm in the middle, cold at the bottom,” selective implementation, and flexible implementation; some Party cadres and members need to strengthen their awareness of Party regulations and their ability to enforce regulations. We must uphold that everyone is equal before the institutions and that there are no exceptions in implementing institutions, and resolutely safeguard the seriousness and authority of the institutions. We must make great efforts to ensure implementation and enforcement; for those who violate regulations and discipline, step over the “red line,” cross the “bottom line,” or breach the “minefield” of laws and regulations, we must resolutely and seriously investigate and punish them, neither bending the rules because of great power nor condoning problems because they are minor, leaving no “back doors” or opening “skylights,” and resolutely preventing the “broken window effect.” [6]6 A criminological metaphor referring to the phenomenon where visible signs of disorder (e.g., a broken window left unrepaired) encourage further vandalism and lawlessness; used here to argue against tolerating minor violations. We must strengthen supervision, discipline enforcement, and accountability, incorporate the implementation of institutions into assessment content, and form a clear orientation that where there are regulations they must be followed, where regulations are enforced they must be strict, and where violations occur they must be punished.

健全体系与强化执行并重，让铁规发力、让禁令生威。经过长期努力特别是新时代以来的革命性锻造，我们党已经形成比较完善的党内法规体系，为依规治党提供了坚实的制度基础。面向未来，要持续完善党内法规体系，进一步扎紧制度笼子。“法令既行，纪律自正，则无不治之国，无不化之民。”同时需要看到，制度的生命力在于执行。当前，党内法规执行中仍存在“上热中温下冷”、选择执行、变通执行等问题，一些党员干部的党规意识、执规能力有待加强。必须坚持制度面前人人平等、执行制度没有例外，坚决维护制度的严肃性和权威性。要下大气力抓落实、抓执行，对违规违纪、破坏法规制度踩“红线”、越“底线”、闯“雷区”的，要坚决严肃查处，不以权势大而破规，不以问题小而姑息，不留“暗门”、不开“天窗”，坚决防止“破窗效应”。要加强监督执纪问责，把制度执行情况纳入考核内容，形成有规必依、执规必严、违规必究的鲜明导向。

Connect discipline enforcement with law enforcement to enhance the effectiveness of systematic governance

把执纪和执法贯通起来，提升系统治理效能

General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: “We must uphold law-based governance and rule-based governance over the Party, raise and establish discipline and rules, strictly act according to the yardstick of discipline and law, and connect law enforcement with discipline enforcement.” To advance the organic unity of law-based governance and rule-based governance over the Party, we must give full play to the Party’s core leadership role in commanding the overall situation and coordinating all parties; the key lies in achieving the connection and coordination of discipline enforcement and law enforcement. This is not only a linkage in procedures and mechanisms but also a deep practice based on the inherent unity of Party discipline and state law, and an inevitable requirement for improving the systematicness and synergy of governance. We must uphold that discipline is stricter than law and that discipline comes before law, ensure that discipline enforcement and law enforcement work in the same direction and are applied precisely, closely connect and jointly construct the disciplinary defense line and the legal defense line, and ensure that the policy of comprehensive and strict governance of the Party and the strategy of comprehensive law-based governance are deeply integrated and implemented at the operational level.

习近平总书记指出：“要坚持依法治国、依规治党，把纪律和规矩挺起来、立起来，严格按照纪律和法律的尺度，把执法和执纪贯通起来”。推进依法治国和依规治党有机统一，要充分发挥党总揽全局、协调各方的领导核心作用，关键在于实现执纪与执法的贯通协同。这不仅是程序与机制上的衔接，更是基于党的纪律与国家法律内在统一性的深入实践，是提高治理系统性、协同性的必然要求。必须坚持纪严于法、纪在法前，执纪执法同向发力、精准运用，将纪律防线与法律防线紧密贯通、一体构筑，确保全面从严治党方针和全面依法治国战略在实施层面深度融合、落到实处。

The connection of discipline enforcement and law enforcement first lies in deeply grasping the rich connotation of the Party’s rules. Without rules, a person is ruined; without rules, a party falls into chaos. Rules are of extreme importance for the survival and development of a political party. Our Party’s rules are an organic whole with clear levels and a complete system. The Party Constitution is the general charter and general rule that the entire Party must follow, and is the most basic, most important, and most comprehensive code of conduct for the entire Party; Party discipline is a rigid constraint, among which political discipline is the rigid constraint that the entire Party must observe in political direction, political stance, political speech, and political action, and is the fundamental guarantee for maintaining the Party’s unity and solidarity; state law is the rigid rule that all citizens, including Party cadres and members, must observe, and Party cadres and members must be models in respecting, studying, abiding by, and applying the law; the fine traditions and working practices formed by the Party in long-term practice are also important codes of conduct, reflecting the distinctive political character of Chinese Communists. This system of rules constitutes a tight network for managing and governing the Party. All Party cadres and members must always keep in mind the yardstick of law, the yardstick of discipline, the yardstick of institutions, the yardstick of rules, and the yardstick of morality, achieving reverence in the heart, restraint in speech, and caution in action, effectively holding the bottom line, not stepping on the red line, and not touching the high-voltage line. This is both an inherent requirement for maintaining the advanced nature of Party members and an ideological dam for preventing clean governance risks.

执纪执法贯通，首先在于深刻把握党的规矩的丰富内涵。人不以规矩则废，党不以规矩则乱，规矩对于政党生存发展具有极端重要性。我们党的规矩是一个层次分明、系统完备的有机整体。党章是全党必须遵循的总章程、总规矩，是全党最基本、最重要、最全面的行为规范；党的纪律是刚性约束，其中政治纪律更是全党在政治方向、政治立场、政治言论、政治行动方面必须遵守的刚性约束，是维护党的团结统一的根本保证；国家法律是包括党员干部在内的所有公民必须遵守的刚性规矩，党员干部要做尊法学法守法用法的模范；党在长期实践中形成的优良传统和工作惯例，同样是重要的行为规范，体现了中国共产党人鲜明的政治品格。这套规矩体系构成了管党治党的严密网络。所有党员干部必须时刻将法律的戒尺、纪律的戒尺、制度的戒尺、规矩的戒尺、道德的戒尺牢记于心，做到心有所畏、言有所戒、行有所止，切实守住底线、不踩红线、不碰高压线。这既是保持党员先进性的内在要求，也是防范廉政风险的思想堤坝。

The connection of discipline enforcement and law enforcement relies on the major institutional innovation of the reform of the national supervision system. The 19th National Congress of the CPC made the major decision and deployment to “deepen the reform of the national supervision system and roll out the pilot work nationwide.” [7]7 The 19th National Congress of the CPC, held in October 2017, decided to establish supervisory commissions at all levels nationwide, merging anti-corruption agencies into a unified National Supervisory Commission. Through institutional and mechanism innovation, this reform integrated the relevant anti-corruption responsibilities of administrative supervision departments, anti-corruption institutions, and procuratorial organs, placed all personnel exercising public power under supervision, effectively solved past problems such as too narrow a scope of supervision, dispersed anti-corruption forces, and poor connection between discipline and law, and formed a powerful supervisory synergy with intra-Party supervision as the mainstay and other forms of supervision interconnected, which has far-reaching significance. In practice, we must coordinate the use of the “two yardsticks” of discipline and law, and adhere to the integrated advancement of supervision and discipline enforcement and supervision and law enforcement. On the one hand, we must strengthen supervision and discipline enforcement, adhere to strict enforcement of discipline, use iron discipline to strengthen daily management and supervision, promptly discover and deal with problems in Party conduct and Party discipline, and seriously handle acts that violate the Party Constitution and Party regulations. On the other hand, we must strengthen supervision and law enforcement, promptly discover and deal with problems in law-based performance of duties, impartial exercise of power, clean governance in work and profession, and moral conduct, and effectively establish rules for the exercise of power.

执纪执法贯通，依托于国家监察体制改革的重大制度创新。党的十九大作出“深化国家监察体制改革，将试点工作在全国推开”的重大决策部署，这一改革通过体制机制创新，将行政监察部门、预防腐败机构和检察机关反腐败相关职责进行整合，把所有行使公权力的人员都置于监督之下，有效解决了过去监察范围过窄、反腐败力量分散、纪法衔接不畅等问题，形成了以党内监督为主、其他监督相贯通的强大监察合力，具有深远意义。在实践中，必须统筹运用纪法“两把尺子”，坚持监督执纪和监察执法一体推进。一方面，要强化监督执纪，坚持执纪必严，用铁的纪律强化日常管理和监督，及时发现和查处党风党纪方面的问题，严肃处理违反党章党规的行为。另一方面，要加强监察执法，及时发现和查处依法履职、秉公用权、廉洁从政从业以及道德操守等方面的问题，切实把权力运行的规矩立起来。

The connection of discipline enforcement and law enforcement lies in the key point of effectively transforming institutional advantages into governance effectiveness. Deeply integrating the Party’s discipline inspection with the implementation of state law, and constructing an institutional system where discipline is stricter than law and discipline comes before law, not only strengthens the deterrence of “dare not be corrupt,” making the costs of corruption explicit and rigid through clear disciplinary and legal consequences, but also tightens the cage of “cannot be corrupt,” subjecting the exercise of power to dual regulation by discipline and law, compressing the space for discretion and rent-seeking; moreover, it plays a fundamental role in cultivating the consciousness of “do not want to be corrupt,” through the daily education of discipline, the inner restraint of morality, and the warning of legal authority, jointly tempering the Party spirit and character of Party cadres and members. This practice of integration and connection promotes the organic unity of intra-Party supervision and state supervision, rule-based governance over the Party and law-based governance, reflecting the fundamental requirement of upholding the organic unity of the Party’s leadership, the people being the masters of the country, and law-based governance. This vividly demonstrates the unique advantages of the socialist rule-of-law path with Chinese characteristics, organically combining the Party’s self-revolution institutional normative system with the state’s rule-of-law supervision system, deeply integrating the political and organizational advantages of comprehensive and strict governance of the Party with the rule-of-law and institutional advantages of comprehensive law-based governance, thereby providing more solid and effective institutional guarantees and supervisory forces for advancing the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity, and ensuring the long-term stability and security of the Party and the state. On the new journey, we must continue to uphold and improve this system, continuously transform institutional advantages into governance effectiveness, and provide a strong guarantee for comprehensively advancing the building of a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization.

执纪执法贯通，关键在于将制度优势切实转化为治理效能。将党的纪律检查与国家法律实施深度融合，构建起纪严于法、纪在法前的制度体系，不仅强化了“不敢腐”的震慑，通过清晰的纪法后果使腐败成本显性化、刚性化；也扎紧了“不能腐”的笼子，使权力运行受到纪律和法律的双重规制，压缩了自由裁量和权力寻租的空间；更对“不想腐”的自觉养成发挥了基础性作用，通过纪律的日常教化、道德的内心约束与法律的威严警示，共同砥砺党员干部的党性心性。这一贯通融合的实践，推动实现了党内监督和国家监察、依规治党和依法治国的有机统一，体现了坚持党的领导、人民当家作主、依法治国有机统一的根本要求。这生动彰显了中国特色社会主义法治道路的独特优势，将党的自我革命制度规范体系与国家的法治监督体系有机结合，将全面从严治党的政治优势、组织优势与全面依法治国的法治优势、制度优势深度融合，从而为推进国家治理体系和治理能力现代化、确保党和国家长治久安提供更为坚实、更为有效的制度保障和监督力量。新征程上，必须继续坚持并完善这一制度，将制度优势持续转化为治理实效，为以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业提供有力保障。

(The author is the President of Renmin University of China)

（作者为中国人民大学校长）

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧