An Interpretation of the Connotation of “Whole-Process Supervision of the Operation of Power”

Not long ago, in an important speech delivered during the 21st collective study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping, from the perspective of strict institutional implementation, put forward the important thesis of “whole-process supervision of the operation of power.” This is a profound summary of the Party’s experience in exploring the supervision of power operation since its founding, especially since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, and a result of theoretical, practical, and institutional innovation in comprehensive and strict governance of the Party. It provides an important guideline for continuously advancing the Party’s self-revolution on the new journey. Studying and interpreting the connotation of the important thesis of “whole-process supervision of the operation of power” is an inevitable requirement for perfecting the institutional normative system of the Party’s self-revolution, an important lever for always maintaining the Party’s flesh-and-blood connection with the people, an internal need for solving the unique challenges of a large party, and a powerful guarantee for enhancing the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity.

不久前，习近平总书记在主持二十届中共中央政治局第二十一次集体学习时发表的重要讲话中，从严格制度执行的视角提出“全过程监督权力运行”重要论断，这是我们党自建党以来特别是党的十八大以来探索监督权力运行经验的深刻总结，是从严管党治党理论创新、实践创新、制度创新的成果，为新征程上持续推进党的自我革命提供了重要遵循。研究阐释“全过程监督权力运行”重要论断的内涵，是完善党的自我革命制度规范体系的必然要求，始终保持党同人民群众血肉联系的重要抓手，破解大党独有难题的内在需要，提升国家治理体系和治理能力现代化的有力保障。

In March 2021, the “Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Strengthening the Supervision of ‘Top Officials’ and Leading Groups” proposed “integrating management and supervision throughout the entire process of exercising leadership.” In January 2023, in his important speech at the Second Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “We must adhere to full coverage in

2021年3月，《中共中央关于加强对“一把手”和领导班子监督的意见》提出“把管理和监督寓于实施领导的全过程”。2023年1月，习近平总书记在二十届中央纪委二次全会上的重要讲话中指出，“要坚持内容上全涵盖、对象上全覆盖、责任上全链条、制度上全贯通，进一步健全全面从严治党体系”。鉴于此，“全过程监督权力运行”重要论断的内涵可以从四个维度来把握。

“Whole-Process Supervision of Power Operation” Covers the Full Scope of Supervision Content

“全过程监督权力运行”的监督内容全涵盖

The full coverage of supervision content refers to the implementation and enforcement of the Party’s theoretical line, principles, and policies, as well as the Party’s requirements for political building, ideological building, organizational building, conduct building, discipline building, institutional building, and the fight against corruption, throughout the entire Party. Whole-process supervision of power operation is, in essence, political supervision. At present, the content of political supervision over power operation is mainly reflected in four aspects: First, deeply comprehending the decisive significance of the “Two Establishments,”[1]1 The “Two Establishments” refers to establishing Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole, and establishing the guiding position of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. strengthening the “Four Consciousnesses,”[2]2 The “Four Consciousnesses” refers to the consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership. fortifying the “Four Confidences,”[3]3 The “Four Confidences” refers to confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics. and achieving the “Two Upholds.”[4]4 The “Two Upholds” refers to upholding Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole, and upholding the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. Second, conducting supervision and inspection of the effectiveness of the implementation of the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee. This involves strengthening supervision and inspection over the coordinated advancement of the “Five-Sphere Integrated Plan”[5]5 The “Five-Sphere Integrated Plan” is the overall plan for building socialism with Chinese characteristics, covering economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological civilization construction. and the “Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy,”[6]6 The “Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy” is a strategic layout for comprehensively building a modern socialist country, comprehensively deepening reform, comprehensively governing the country according to law, and comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. the complete, accurate, and comprehensive implementation of the new development philosophy, the construction of a new development pattern, the realization of high-quality development, and all other aspects, centering on the implementation of the major strategic measures of the Party Central Committee. Third, conducting supervision and inspection to ensure that power operates on the correct track. This involves supervising and inspecting the adherence to democratic centralism and the formation of a power operation mechanism characterized by scientific decision-making, resolute execution, and strong supervision, urging the fair exercise of power, the exercise of power in accordance with the law, and the clean exercise of power. Fourth, resolutely investigating and punishing corruption that intertwines political and economic issues. This involves deepening the rectification of corruption in sectors where power is concentrated, funds are abundant, and resources are rich, and resolutely punishing new types of corruption and hidden corruption. It also involves deepening efforts to address both symptoms and root causes, promoting the reform of regulatory mechanisms and institutional building in key areas such as examination and approval supervision, engineering construction, resource development, financial credit, public resource transactions, and public financial expenditure, advancing national anti-corruption legislation, promoting international cooperation against corruption, strengthening the construction of a culture of clean governance in the New Era, and continuously advancing the in-depth development of the Party’s conduct building, clean governance, and the fight against corruption. In summary, political supervision runs through all fields, aspects, and links of reform, development, and stability; domestic affairs, foreign relations, and national defense; and the governance of the Party, the state, and the military, constituting the full coverage of supervision content.

监督内容全涵盖是指对党的理论路线、方针政策和党对政治建设、思想建设、组织建设、作风建设、纪律建设、制度建设、反腐败斗争的要求在全党的贯彻落实。全过程监督权力运行本质上是政治监督。当前，对权力运行的政治监督内容主要体现在四个方面：一是深刻领悟“两个确立”的决定性意义，增强“四个意识”、坚定“四个自信”、做到“两个维护”。二是对党中央决策部署落实成效进行监督检查。要对统筹推进“五位一体”总体布局、协调推进“四个全面”战略布局、完整准确全面贯彻新发展理念、构建新发展格局、实现高质量发展等方方面面，围绕落实党中央重大战略举措加强监督检查。三是对保证权力在正确的轨道上运行进行监督检查。要对坚持民主集中制，形成决策科学、执行坚决、监督有力的权力运行机制的情况进行监督检查，督促公正用权、依法用权、廉洁用权。四是要坚决查处政治问题和经济问题交织的腐败。深化整治权力集中、资金密集、资源富集领域的腐败，坚决惩治新型腐败和隐性腐败。深化标本兼治，推动审批监管、工程建设、资源开发、金融信贷、公共资源交易、公共财政支出等重点领域监管机制改革和制度建设，推进反腐败国家立法，促进反腐败国际合作，加强新时代廉洁文化建设，不断推进党风廉政建设和反腐败斗争向纵深发展。总之，政治监督贯穿于改革发展稳定、内政外交国防、治党治国治军的各领域各方面各环节，构成了监督内容的全涵盖。

“Whole-Process Supervision of Power Operation” Covers the Full Scope of Supervision Targets

“全过程监督权力运行”的监督对象全覆盖

The full coverage of supervision targets refers to all Party organizations, Party members, and cadres, with a focus on leading organs and leading cadres, especially principal leading cadres. Article 6 of the “Regulations of the Communist Party of China on Intra-Party Supervision” stipulates: The key targets of intra-Party supervision are the leading organs and leading cadres of the Party, especially the principal leading cadres. General Secretary Xi Jinping, in his important speech at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, pointed out: “We must take intra-Party supervision as the lead, and promote the organic integration and mutual coordination of people’s congress supervision, democratic supervision, administrative supervision, judicial supervision, audit supervision, financial supervision, statistical supervision, public supervision, and media supervision.” Apart from public supervision and media supervision, the organs, departments, leading cadres, and staff involved in the remaining types of supervision are all targets of supervision. Inspection tours are a strategic institutional arrangement for intra-Party supervision, and full coverage of inspection tours should be achieved within one term of office; discipline inspection and supervision groups dispatched by the commissions for discipline inspection are responsible to the dispatching organs; the National Commission of Supervision is a major decision and deployment to strengthen the self-supervision of the Party and the state. This forms a pattern of “four full coverages” of disciplinary supervision, supervision by supervisory commissions, dispatched supervision, and inspection tour supervision, indicating that the supervision work of the Party and the state has extended to every field and every corner. In answering the question of “who is supervised,” our Party started from the full coverage of intra-Party supervision, adhered to the combination of intra-Party supervision and extra-Party supervision, and achieved full coverage of supervision targets from Party organizations to Party members, cadres, and all public officials exercising public power.

监督对象全覆盖是指党的各级组织和党员、干部，重点是领导机关和领导干部特别是主要领导干部。《中国共产党党内监督条例》第六条规定：党内监督的重点对象是党的领导机关和领导干部特别是主要领导干部。习近平总书记在十九届中央纪委四次全会上的重要讲话中指出：“要以党内监督为主导，推动人大监督、民主监督、行政监督、司法监督、审计监督、财会监督、统计监督、群众监督、舆论监督有机贯通、相互协调。”除群众监督和舆论监督外，其余监督所涉及的机关部门和领导干部、工作人员都是被监督对象。巡视是党内监督的战略性制度安排，要在一届任期内实现巡视全覆盖；纪委派驻纪检组对派出机关负责；国家监察委员会是强化党和国家自我监督的重大决策部署。这样就形成纪律监督、监察监督、派驻监督、巡视监督“四个全覆盖”格局，表明党和国家监督工作延伸到了每个领域、每个角落。在回答“监督谁”的问题上，我们党从党内监督全覆盖破题，坚持党内监督和党外监督相结合，实现了监督对象从党组织到党员、干部以及所有行使公权力的公职人员的监督全覆盖。

“Whole-Process Supervision of Power Operation” Covers the Full Chain of Supervision Responsibility

“全过程监督权力运行”的监督责任全链条

The full chain of supervision responsibility means that all links in the process of power operation are advanced sequentially, without simplification or omission. Modern management theory divides management behavior into a continuous process of pre-event, in-event, and post-event stages according to the time sequence for supervision. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, “We must improve the institutional mechanism that unifies authorization, power exercise, and power restriction, making it clear, transparent, and traceable, focusing on finding loopholes in power operation and filling institutional shortcomings.” Authorization is the pre-event link of power operation and must be carried out in accordance with laws and regulations; power exercise is the in-event link of power operation, and the exercise of power must comply with statutory authority and procedures; power restriction is the restriction and regulation of power operation, finding loopholes in power operation and filling institutional shortcomings. The three links of authorization, power exercise, and power restriction are interdependent, mutually reinforcing, and organically unified, together constituting the full cycle of the supervision procedure for power operation. The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC pointed out: “Improve the mechanism for supervising and restricting the exercise of power, take intra-Party supervision as the lead, promote the integration and coordination of various types of supervision, and let power operate in the sunlight.” The various types of supervision involved in the whole-process supervision of power operation all include continuous supervision links of pre-event, in-event, and post-event, specifically including: First, power allocation, adhering to the statutory nature of power and responsibility, improving the systems for dividing matters and exercising power, setting up posts and assigning powers, grading authorization, and regular job rotation, clarifying the boundaries of power, and standardizing work procedures; second, the operational restriction mechanism, adhering to the transparency of power and responsibility, promoting openness in the exercise of power, improving the systems for openness in Party affairs, government affairs, judicial affairs, and affairs in various fields, and establishing a feedback mechanism for querying and tracing power operation; third, the error correction mechanism, adhering to the unity of power and responsibility, closely monitoring all links of power operation, improving the effective mechanism for discovering problems, correcting deviations, and precise accountability, and reducing the space for power rent-seeking. For example, various types of financial and accounting supervision are the main business work of the full chain of supervision responsibility in pre-event, in-event, and post-event stages, including: pre-event supervision, such as budget review and supervision by the people’s congress or financial and government departments; in-event supervision, such as budget execution supervision by financial and government departments, and accounting and reflection supervision by the financial and accounting departments of various organs, institutions, enterprises, and social organizations; post-event supervision, such as audit supervision, and the audit supervision of government and departmental final accounts and asset reports by the people’s congress.

监督责任全链条是指权力运行流程的各个环节依次推进，不能简化和遗漏。现代管理理论按时间顺序将管理行为分为事前、事中、事后的过程进行连续性监管。习近平总书记指出，“要健全授权用权制权相统一、清晰透明可追溯的制度机制，注重查找权力运行漏洞、补齐制度短板”。授权是权力运行的事前环节，必须依法依规；用权是权力运行的事中环节，权力行使必须符合法定权限和程序；制权是对权力运行进行制约和规范，查找权力运行漏洞、补齐制度短板。授权、用权、制权三个环节相互依存、相互促进有机统一，共同构成权力运行监督程序的全周期。党的二十大报告指出：“完善权力监督制约机制，以党内监督为主导，促进各类监督贯通协调，让权力在阳光下运行。”全过程监督权力运行所涉及的各类监督都包含事前、事中、事后的连续性监督环节，具体包括：一是权力配置，坚持权责法定，健全分事行权、分岗设权、分级授权、定期轮岗制度，明晰权力边界，规范工作流程；二是运行制约机制，坚持权责透明，推动用权公开，完善党务、政务、司法和各领域办事公开制度，建立权力运行可查询、可追溯的反馈机制；三是纠错机制，坚持权责统一，盯紧权力运行各个环节，完善发现问题、纠正偏差、精准问责有效机制，压缩权力寻租空间。例如，各类财会监督是事前、事中、事后监督责任全链条运行的主要业务工作，包括：事前监督，如人大或财政和政府部门的预算审查监督；事中监督，如财政和政府部门的预算执行监督，以及各类机关、事业单位、企业、社会组织财会部门的会计核算反映监督；事后监督，如审计监督、人大的政府及部门决算、资产报告审计监督等。

“Whole-Process Supervision of Power Operation” Covers the Full Integration of Supervision Institutions

“全过程监督权力运行”的监督制度全贯通

The complete integration of the supervision system for whole-process supervision of power operation is concretely manifested in four aspects: First, the integration and coordination of the intra-Party supervision system, with the integration and coordination of the Party governance system centered on the Party Constitution, norms, regulations, and provisions, improving the system of intra-Party regulations, regulating and restricting the operation of power, and confining power to the cage of institutions. Second, the integration and coordination of the intra-Party supervision system and external supervision systems. Under the unified leadership of the Party, effective articulation and coordinated exertion of force are achieved between intra-Party regulations and national laws and regulations, as well as other types of external supervision regulations and systems, forming a supervisory synergy and enhancing the effectiveness of the overall supervision system. The articulation and coordination of intra-Party regulations with the various regulations and systems of the People’s Congress, government, supervisory organs, judicial organs, as well as the People’s Political Consultative Conference organs and audit organs, are effectively promoted. The coordinated linkage of regulations and systems between discipline inspection organs at all levels and administrative organs, judicial organs, audit organs, statistical organs, and financial and accounting organs is realized. Third, the role of mass supervision and public opinion supervision is brought into play, so that power operates in the sunlight. Various systems for open handling of affairs are improved, channels for the people to offer suggestions and criticisms and to supervise are unblocked, openness promotes fairness, and transparency ensures clean governance. Fourth, the integration and coordination of the supervision responsibility subject system is promoted, advancing the main responsibility, supervision responsibility, first responsible person responsibility, and “one post with dual responsibilities” [7]7 “One post with dual responsibilities” (一岗双责) refers to the requirement that leading cadres bear responsibility both for their official duties and for Party building and clean governance within their jurisdiction. for Party governance to form a complete chain of responsibilities, with each type of responsibility strictly implemented.

全过程监督权力运行的监督制度全贯通具体体现在三个方面：一是党内监督制度贯通协调，以党章、准则、条例、规定为主体的管党治党制度的贯通协调，完善党内法规制度体系，规范和制约权力运行，把权力关进制度的笼子。二是党内监督制度和外部监督制度的贯通协调。在党的统一领导下实现党内法规与国家法律法规以及其他各类外部监督法规制度的有效衔接、协同发力，形成监督合力，提升整体监督制度的效果。切实推进党内法规与人大、政府、监察机关、司法机关以及人民政协机关、审计机关的各项法规制度贯通协调。实现各级纪律检查机关与行政机关、司法机关、审计机关、统计机关、财会机关的法规制度协调联动。三是发挥群众监督和舆论监督作用，使权力在阳光下运行。完善各类公开办事制度，畅通人民群众建言献策和批评监督渠道，以公开促公正，以透明保廉洁。四是监督主体责任制度贯通协调，推进管党治党的主体责任、监督责任、第一责任人责任、“一岗双责”等构成完整的责任链条，每一种责任都要严格落实。

The proposal of the important thesis of “whole-process supervision of power operation” indicates that the Party’s understanding of the supervision and restriction of power operation is continuously deepening. On the new journey, we should further strengthen whole-process supervision of power operation in accordance with the new situation and new circumstances, strictly implement systems under the unified leadership and command of the Party, comprehensively implement democratic centralism, strengthen coordination among multiple supervisory subjects, eliminate supervisory blind spots, empower supervision with technology, resolve supervisory difficulties, focus on key areas and the “key minority” [8]8 “Key minority” (关键少数) refers to leading cadres, especially those at senior levels, whose power and influence make them the primary targets of supervision and discipline., enhance the precision of supervision, and ensure that our Party always remains the strong leading core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

“全过程监督权力运行”重要论断的提出，表明党对权力运行监督制约的认识不断深化。在新征程上，我们应根据新形势新情况进一步强化全过程监督权力运行，在党的统一领导指挥下严格制度执行，全面贯彻民主集中制，强化多元监督主体协同，消除监督盲区，以技术赋能监督，破解监督难点，聚焦重点领域与“关键少数”，提升监督精准度，确保我们党始终成为中国特色社会主义事业的坚强领导核心。

(Author: Zhao Fuhao, specially appointed researcher of the Shanghai Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, associate professor of the School of Marxism at Shanghai Normal University)

（作者：赵福浩，系上海市习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想研究中心特约研究员、上海师范大学马克思主义学院副教授）

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心