Promoting the Party’s Self-Revolution through the Construction of the Intra-Party Regulations System

The Communist Party of China is a Marxist political party that is courageous in and adept at self-revolution. The Party Central Committee has advanced comprehensive and strict governance of the Party with unprecedented resolve and intensity, creatively putting forward a series of original and landmark new concepts, new ideas, and new strategies, guiding the century-old Party to open up a new realm of self-revolution. In the process of promoting the Party’s self-revolution, the construction of the intra-Party regulations system plays an important role. To govern the country well, the Party must first be governed well; to govern the Party strictly, it must be done according to rules; to be strict, rules must be followed. The construction of the intra-Party regulations system is the support and guarantee for deeply advancing the Party’s self-revolution and is an important measure for realizing the Party’s self-revolution.

中国共产党是一个勇于自我革命并善于自我革命的马克思主义政党。党中央以前所未有的决心和力度推进全面从严治党，创造性地提出一系列具有原创性、标志性的新理念新思想新战略，指引百年大党开辟了自我革命新境界。在推进党的自我革命的过程中，党内法规制度建设发挥着重要作用。治国必先治党，治党务必从严，从严必依法度。党内法规制度建设，是深入推进党的自我革命的支撑与保障，是实现党的自我革命的重要举措。

Key Links

关键环节

The construction of the intra-Party regulations system provides institutional support for advancing the Party’s self-revolution. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Party [1]1 The “four undesirable work styles” (四风) refer to formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance, which were the focus of a Party-wide rectification campaign launched in 2013. required improving the institutional normative system for the Party’s self-revolution and continuously advancing the Party’s self-purification, self-improvement, self-renovation, and self-enhancement. As the “specialized rules and regulations” that regulate the Party’s leadership and Party building activities, intra-Party regulations are undoubtedly the core content of the institutional normative system for the Party’s self-revolution. In April 2023, the Central Committee of the CPC issued the *Outline of the Central Committee’s Plan for the Formulation of Intra-Party Regulations (2023–2027)*, which proposed adhering to improving the Party’s self-building regulations and systems to firmly advance the Party’s self-revolution. It is necessary to give full play to the fundamental role of the intra-Party regulations system as a long-term and fundamental strategy for comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, improve the institutional normative system for the Party’s self-revolution, establish and improve rules and regulations to address the “Four Tests” [2]2 “Institutional governance of the Party” (制度治党) and “governance of the Party in accordance with regulations” (依规治党) are standard terms in Chinese Communist Party discourse, referring to the use of formal institutions and intra-Party regulations to discipline and manage Party organizations and members. and overcome the “Four Dangers” [3], deeply advance the great new project of Party building in the New Era, and ensure that our Party always adheres to its original aspiration and founding mission and always remains the strong leading core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Advancing the Party’s self-revolution cannot be separated from institutions, nor from intra-Party regulations, especially the Party’s self-building regulations and systems; the intra-Party regulations system is an important institutional support for advancing the Party’s self-revolution.

党内法规制度建设为推进党的自我革命提供制度支撑。党的二十届三中全会要求，完善党的自我革命制度规范体系，不断推进党的自我净化、自我完善、自我革新、自我提高。作为调整党的领导与党的建设活动的“专门规章制度”，党内法规无疑是党的自我革命制度规范体系中的核心内容。2023年4月，中共中央印发《中央党内法规制定工作规划纲要（2023—2027年）》提出，坚持以完善党的自身建设法规制度坚定推进党的自我革命。充分发挥党内法规制度建设作为全面从严治党长远之策、根本之策的治本作用，完善党的自我革命制度规范体系，针对应对“四大考验”、克服“四种危险”建章立制，深入推进新时代党的建设新的伟大工程，保证我们党始终坚守初心使命，始终成为中国特色社会主义事业的坚强领导核心。推进党的自我革命，离不开制度，离不开党内法规尤其是党的自身建设法规制度，党内法规制度是推进党的自我革命的重要制度支撑。

The construction of the intra-Party regulations system is conducive to advancing comprehensive and strict governance of the Party and promoting corruption governance. The Party’s self-revolution is the “second path” explored by the CPC in the practice of comprehensive and strict governance of the Party, and comprehensive and strict governance of the Party is an effective way to realize the Party’s self-revolution. Comprehensive and strict governance of the Party must rely on the intra-Party regulations system. On the one hand, comprehensive and strict governance of the Party is highly political and principled, and must be regulated by a set of scientific and complete institutions. We must strengthen the high degree of consciousness in governing the Party with institutions and in accordance with regulations, and promote the in-depth development of comprehensive and strict governance of the Party on the track of regulations and institutions. On the other hand, corruption is the greatest threat facing our Party, and the fight against corruption is the most thorough self-revolution. In modern states, the rule of law is the only way to govern corruption. General

党内法规制度建设有利于推进全面从严治党，推进腐败治理。党的自我革命是中国共产党在全面从严治党实践中探索出的“第二条道路”，全面从严治党是党的自我革命的有效途径。全面从严治党必须以党内法规制度为依托。一方面，全面从严治党政治性、原则性强，必须有一套科学完备的制度来规范。我们要强化制度治党、依规治党的高度自觉，推动全面从严治党在法规制度轨道上向纵深发展。另一方面，腐败是我们党面临的最大威胁，反腐败是最彻底的自我革命。在现代国家，法治是腐败治理的必由之路。习近平总书记指出：“要善于用法治思维和法治方式反对腐败，加强反腐败国家立法，加强反腐倡廉党内法规制度建设，让法律制度刚性运行。”党内法规的存在，大大丰富了党和国家反腐败的制度依据，形塑了独具中国特色的反腐败思路，为全人类的反腐败事业贡献了中国方案。

The construction of the intra-Party regulations system enhances the quality and effectiveness of the Party’s self-supervision, providing a powerful driving force for the Party’s self-revolution. To advance the Party’s self-revolution, it is necessary to strengthen the Party’s self-supervision, improve the various institutional mechanisms of intra-Party supervision, and continuously refine the intra-Party supervision system. “Self-supervision” is a worldwide challenge; the leadership position of the Communist Party of China determines that the Party must conduct self-supervision, thereby achieving a positive interaction and mutual reinforcement between self-supervision and other forms of supervision. In the process of the Party’s self-supervision, intra-Party regulations play an irreplaceable role. The construction of the intra-Party regulations system provides a normative basis for the Party’s self-supervision, enhances the quality and effectiveness of the Party’s self-supervision, and lays a solid foundation and provides a strong guarantee for the genuine realization of the Party’s self-supervision. In January 2024, the revised Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Disciplinary Action were implemented; from April to July 2024, Party-wide education on Party discipline was carried out, achieving outstanding results. In February 2024, the Central Committee of the CPC issued the newly revised Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Inspection Work, further refining the working mechanisms, institutional frameworks, and responsibility systems for inspections, providing a strategic institutional arrangement for advancing the Party’s self-revolution and comprehensive and strict governance of the Party. All this demonstrates the significance and value of intra-Party regulations for the Party’s self-supervision.

党内法规制度建设提升党的自我监督质效，为党的自我革命提供强大动力。推进党的自我革命，要强化党的自我监督，完善党内监督的各项制度机制，不断健全党内监督体系。“自我监督”是世界性难题，中国共产党的领导地位决定了党必须进行自我监督，进而实现自我监督与其他监督的良性互动、相得益彰。在党的自我监督过程中，党内法规发挥着无可替代的作用。党内法规制度建设，为党的自我监督提供了规范依据，提升了党的自我监督的质效，为党的自我监督能够真正实现奠定坚实的基础，提供了有力的保障。2024年1月，《中国共产党纪律处分条例》修订施行，2024年4月至7月在全党范围内开展党纪学习教育，取得了突出成效。2024年2月，中共中央印发新修订的《中国共产党巡视工作条例》，进一步健全巡视工作体制机制、责任体系，为推进党的自我革命、全面从严治党提供战略性制度安排。这都表明了党内法规对党的自我监督的意义所在、价值所在。

Specific Measures

具体举措

Persist in improving the intra-Party regulations system and continuously strengthen the enforcement of intra-Party regulations. The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC clearly stated that we must adhere to governing the Party with institutions and regulations, improve the intra-Party regulations system, and enhance the authority and enforcement of intra-Party regulations. Over a long period, the Party has persisted in enacting, revising, abolishing, and interpreting regulations, taking multiple measures, and gradually explored a complete, scientific, and effective system of intra-Party regulations. The continuous innovation of the intra-Party regulations system has promoted the improvement and development of the institutional normative system for the Party’s self-revolution. It is necessary to be guided by the new situations, new tasks, and new requirements of the Party’s self-revolution, formulate and revise intra-Party regulations in step with the times, and promptly institutionalize and regulate effective measures. In the process of improving the intra-Party regulations system, it is necessary to continuously raise the quality of intra-Party regulation-making, promptly abolish intra-Party regulations and normative documents that are unsuitable, uncoordinated, disconnected, or inconsistent, and maintain the flexibility and vitality of the intra-Party regulations system. It is necessary to better coordinate the formulation and operation of institutions, reduce the formulation of “declaratory” and “guiding” intra-Party regulations, truly meet the needs of governing the Party with institutions and regulations, ensure the actual effectiveness of intra-Party regulations from the source, and provide strong institutional support for the Party’s self-revolution.

坚持完善党内法规制度体系，不断加强党内法规执行力。党的二十大报告明确指出，要坚持制度治党、依规治党，完善党内法规制度体系，增强党内法规权威性和执行力。长期以来，党坚持立改废释，多措并举，逐步探索出一整套科学完整、运行有效的党内法规制度体系。党内法规制度体系的不断创新，促进了党的自我革命制度规范体系的完善发展。要以党的自我革命新形势新任务新要求为牵引，与时俱进制定和修订党内法规制度，及时将行之有效的措施制度化法规化。要在完善党内法规制度体系过程中，不断提高党内法规立规质量，及时废除不适应、不协调、不衔接、不一致的党内法规和规范性文件，保持党内法规体系的灵活性与生命力。要更好统筹制度制定和制度运行，减少制定“宣誓性”和“指导性”党内法规，真正满足制度治党、依规治党的需求，从源头上保证党内法规的实际效果，为党的自我革命提供强有力的制度支持。

Enhance the scientific and standardized level of the Party’s leadership through the construction of the intra-Party regulations system. Advancing the Party’s self-revolution is a conscious action by our Party to strengthen and improve itself, aimed at building the Party into an even stronger and more powerful force, and better upholding and strengthening the centralized, unified leadership of the Party. Advancing the Party’s self-revolution must be carried out under the leadership of the Party Central Committee, with unified planning, unified deployment, and unified promotion, always moving forward in the correct direction. The intra-Party regulations system embodies the ideological crystallization of Chinese Communists, summarizes the achievements and experiences of the Party’s leadership and construction, and reflects the profound application of rule-of-law thinking in the Party’s leadership and construction. The regulations on Party leadership within the intra-Party regulations systematically stipulate the institutional mechanisms, standards, requirements, methods, and approaches for the Party to lead various fields and tasks, and are key to improving the Party’s leadership and enhancing its scientific and standardized level. Perfecting the intra-Party regulations system is of great significance for optimizing the Party’s leadership system and governing methods, and for continuously transforming the Party’s political, organizational, and institutional advantages into effective national governance.

以党内法规制度建设增强党的领导的科学化、规范化水平。推进党的自我革命是我们党强身健体的自觉行动，是为了把党建设得更加坚强有力，更好坚持和加强党的集中统一领导。推进党的自我革命，必须在党中央领导下，统一谋划、统一部署、统一推进，始终沿着正确方向前进。党内法规制度凝聚了中国共产党人的思想结晶，总结了党领导与建设的成果与经验，体现了法治思维在党的领导和建设中的深刻应用。党内法规中党的领导法规，系统规定了党对各个领域、各项工作进行领导的体制机制、标准要求、方式方法，是完善党的领导，增强党的领导的科学化、规范化水平的关键。完善党内法规体系，对于优化党的领导体制和执政方式，持续将党的政治、组织和制度优势转化为国家治理效能具有重要意义。

Promote the integration of rectifying work styles, enforcing discipline, and combating corruption through the construction of the intra-Party regulations system. To advance the Party’s self-revolution, it is necessary to integrate the rectification of work styles, enforcement of discipline, and combating corruption, always adhere to a strict tone, strict measures, and a strict atmosphere, use fine work styles as a guide, use strict discipline as a strong guarantee, and use anti-corruption and punishment of evil to clear obstacles, promoting the Party’s self-revolution in an interlocking and progressive manner, continuously achieving self-transcendence through discarding the old and establishing the new, and upholding fundamental principles while breaking new ground. The practice of the Party’s self-revolution and comprehensive and strict governance of the Party shows that corruption is often hidden within the “four undesirable work styles” [1]1 The “four undesirable work styles” (四风) refer to formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance, which were the focus of a Party-wide rectification campaign launched in 2013., and law-breaking inevitably begins with discipline violation. Therefore, continuously rectifying the “four undesirable work styles,” strictly supervising and enforcing discipline, and persisting in addressing problems early and nipping them in the bud are inevitable choices for tackling corruption at its source. Unlike the punishment of backend corrupt behavior, which mainly relies on national law, the process of rectifying work styles and enforcing discipline mainly occurs at the front end and naturally requires reliance on intra-Party regulations. Only by truly giving play to the role of intra-Party regulations can we seriously investigate and deal with various “four undesirable work styles” problems, purify the political ecosystem, urge Party members and cadres to resolutely oppose privilege-seeking thinking and privilege-seeking phenomena, firmly establish a correct view of power, outlook on political performance, and outlook on career, prevent them from sliding into the abyss of discipline and law violation, and ultimately realize the Party’s self-revolution.

以党内法规制度建设推进正风肃纪反腐的结合。推进党的自我革命，必须把正风肃纪反腐结合起来一起抓，始终坚持严的基调、严的措施、严的氛围，以优良作风作引领，以严明纪律强保障，以反腐惩恶清障碍，推动党的自我革命环环相扣、层层递进，不断在革故鼎新、守正创新中实现自身跨越。党的自我革命和全面从严治党的实践表明，腐败往往蕴藏于“四风”问题之中，违法必然会先违纪。所以，持续整治“四风”，严格监督执纪，坚持抓早抓小，防微杜渐，是从源头上治理腐败的必然选择。与后端腐败行为的惩处主要依靠国家法律不同，正风肃纪的过程主要发生在前端，天然地需要依靠党内法规。只有真正发挥党内法规的作用，才能严肃查处各类 “四风”问题，净化政治生态，督促党员、干部坚决反对特权思想和特权现象，树牢正确权力观、政绩观、事业观，防止滑落到违纪违法的深渊，党的自我革命才能最终实现。

The Party’s self-revolution runs through every historical period of the Party’s history, bearing witness to the Party’s journey from weakness to strength. Relying consistently on self-revolution to grasp the historical initiative in governing the Party and the country is the evergreen path by which our Party, after a century of vicissitudes, remains in its prime. To advance the Party’s self-revolution, it is necessary to uphold institutional governance of the Party and governance of the Party in accordance with regulations, continuously improve the institutional normative system for the Party’s self-revolution, and further form a virtuous cycle in which the Party relies on its own strength to identify problems, correct deviations, promote innovation, and achieve an overall enhancement of its governing capacity.

党的自我革命贯穿党史的各个历史时期，见证了党从弱小走向强大。始终依靠自我革命掌握治党兴国的历史主动，是我们党历经百年沧桑而风华正茂的常青之道。推进党的自我革命，要坚持制度治党、依规治党，不断完善党的自我革命制度规范体系，进一步形成依靠党的自身力量发现问题、纠正偏差、推动创新、实现执政能力整体性提升的良性循环。

(The authors are, respectively, a doctoral student at the Law School of East China University of Political Science and Law, and a professor at the Law School of East China University of Political Science and Law.)

（作者系华东政法大学法律学院博士研究生；华东政法大学法律学院教授）

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心