Politburo Meeting Stresses Politics First Approach for 2024
Xi Jinping chaired a meeting of the Politburo on Wednesday. This will be the lead story in the paper tomorrow. But, I’ve gone through the readout, and thought I should share it as a post today itself.
It’s important to note some of the messages coming from this report. There’s nothing particularly unexpected. The emphasis remains on tightening political control and supervision; high-quality development; and balancing high-quality development and high-level security. Essentially, there seems to be no stimulus in the offing or deviation from the broader economic policy agenda that was outlined at the CEWC. It also seems that this year will be a tough one for China’s bureaucrats, particularly those at lower levels. The emphasis on improving work style at the grassroots level and strengthening grassroots Party building will likely mean more anti-corruption scalps. None of this inspires any confidence that there is a desire to unleash animal spirits. It’s all about conformity and compliance with central directives.
Anyway, the meeting discussed several key documents:
A report from the PSC after it heard and discussed the work reports of the leading Party members groups of the Standing Committee of the NPC, the State Council, the CPPCC NC, the Supreme People's Court, and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, as well as the work report of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee.
A summary report about the Party’s theoretical study program concerning Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era
A Guideline on building on the achievements of learning and implementation related to the study program of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era
CPC regulations on disciplinary inspection
中共中央政治局1月31日召开会议，审议《中央政治局常委会听取和研究全国人大常委会、国务院、全国政协、最高人民法院、最高人民检察院党组工作汇报和中央书记处工作报告的综合情况报告》《关于在全党深入开展学习贯彻习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想主题教育总结报告》《关于巩固拓展学习贯彻习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想主题教育成果的意见》和《中国共产党巡视工作条例》。中共中央总书记习近平主持会议。
The meeting fully affirmed the work of the NPC Standing Committee, the State Council, the CPPCC NC, the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate Party Committees, and the Central Secretariat since the 20th Party Congress, and agreed with their work arrangements for 2024. The meeting held that since the 20th Party Congress, the five party committees have adhered to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, performed their duties focussing on the overall work of the Party and the country, effectively strengthened their own organisational construction, and made positive contributions to promoting economic development and maintaining social stability and achieved a good start in all aspects of work. Under the leadership of the Politburo and the PBSC, the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee has taken proactive actions and done a lot of effective work in promoting the implementation of the Party Central Committee’s decisions and arrangements, strengthening the construction of inner-party laws and regulations, and guiding the construction and reform of mass organisations. 会议对党的二十大以来全国人大常委会、国务院、全国政协、最高人民法院、最高人民检察院党组和中央书记处的工作给予充分肯定，同意其对2024年的工作安排。会议认为，党的二十大以来，5家党组坚持以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，围绕党和国家工作全局履职尽责，切实加强党组自身建设，为推动经济发展、保持社会稳定作出了积极贡献，各方面工作实现了良好开局。中央书记处在中央政治局、中央政治局常委会领导下，积极主动作为，在推动党中央决策部署落实、加强党内法规制度建设、指导群团建设和改革等方面做了大量有效工作.
“The meeting emphasised that 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and is a crucial year for achieving the goals and tasks outlined in the 14th Five-Year Plan. The five Party Committees should adhere to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era; uphold the centralised and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee as the the highest political principle; closely focus on advancing Chinese-style modernization as the greatest political task, and consistently implement the strategic arrangements set forth at the 20th Party Congress. It is necessary to do a good job in the primary task of high-quality development, deepen reform and opening up, ensure the implementation of key tasks set forth by the Central Economic Work Conference, and guide the economy to achieve effective qualitative improvement and reasonable quantitative growth. It is necessary to firmly establish the concept of political achievements that benefit the people, enhance the well-being of the people and safeguard social fairness and justice. It is necessary to coordinate high-quality development and high-level security, adhere to bottom-line thinking, enhance the awareness of and ability for struggle. It is necessary to conscientiously fulfil the main responsibility of comprehensive and strict Party governance, take the lead in implementing the spirit of the eight-point central regulations and its implementation rules; lead by example, take the lead in following the example, and grasp the Party’s self-revolution concretely and deeply. The Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee should strengthen its political responsibility, earnestly perform its duties, strengthen its self-improvement, and continue to complete all tasks assigned by the CPC Central Committee with high quality. 会议强调，2024年是新中国成立75周年，是实现“十四五”规划目标任务的关键一年，全国人大常委会、国务院、全国政协、最高人民法院、最高人民检察院党组要以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为指导，坚持党中央集中统一领导这个最高政治原则，紧紧围绕推进中国式现代化这个最大的政治，持续抓好党的二十大战略部署的贯彻落实。要抓好高质量发展这个首要任务，深化改革开放，确保中央经济工作会议确定的重点任务落地落实，推动经济实现质的有效提升和量的合理增长。要树牢造福人民的政绩观，增进民生福祉，维护社会公平正义。要统筹高质量发展和高水平安全，坚持底线思维，增强斗争意识，提高斗争本领。要认真履行全面从严治党主体责任，带头贯彻执行中央八项规定及其实施细则精神，以身作则、率先垂范，把党的自我革命抓具体、抓深入。中央书记处要强化政治担当，扎实履职尽责，加强自身建设，继续高质量完成好党中央交办的各项任务.
“The meeting pointed out that since the launch of the thematic education campaign on learning and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the entire Party has closely adhered to the overall requirements of ‘learning ideology, strengthening Party spirit, emphasising practice, and achieving new accomplishments’; focusing on the theme and main line, setting clear objectives and tasks, the Party has highlighted the importance of strengthening the soul through learning, enhancing wisdom through learning, rectifying the conduct through learning, and promoting work with learning; the campaign was closely integrated with the work of the year, with work focussed on solving the problems that restrict high-quality development, addressing the urgent challenges and concerns of the people, and the outstanding problems of Party building; it has achieved the expected goal and seen remarkable results. 会议指出，学习贯彻习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想主题教育启动以来，全党紧扣“学思想、强党性、重实践、建新功”总要求，聚焦主题主线，明确目标任务，突出以学铸魂、以学增智、以学正风、以学促干，与做好开局之年工作紧密结合，着力解决制约高质量发展问题、群众急难愁盼问题、党的建设突出问题，达到预期目的，取得明显成效.
“The meeting emphasised that:
it is necessary to continue to strengthen theoretical arming, guide Party members and cadres to enhance their understanding of the Party’s innovative Party theories, grasp laws, clarify directions, learn methods, and enhance wisdom, consolidate the foundation and cultivate the roots, unite hearts and cast souls;
it is necessary to continue to promote the solution of problems, continue to do a good job in rectification and establishment of rules and regulations, so that the people can truly feel the actual results of solving problems;
it is necessary to continuously improve work style, implement the ‘going to the grassroots in all directions’ 四下基层 approach, following the Mass Line in the new era, correct formalism and bureaucracy, and effectively address the reduction of burdens at the grassroots levels through the practical rectification of formalism;
it is necessary to continue to consolidate the foundation at the grassroots level, promote Party building to lead grassroots governance, and give full play to the role of grassroots Party organisations as a fighting fortresses and the vanguard along with the exemplary role of Party members;
it is necessary to continue to do a good job in implementation, work hard, do practical work, and achieve results, so as to better transform the results of the thematic education campaign into the results of promoting high-quality development.
Party committees at all levels should regard the consolidation and expansion of the results/building on the gains of the thematic education campaign as a major political task. They should shoulder the main responsibilities, and do a good job in implementing them to the letter.”
会议强调，要持续加强理论武装，教育引导党员干部通过坚持学习党的创新理论，悟规律、明方向、学方法、增智慧，固本培元、凝心铸魂；要持续推动解决问题，继续抓好整改整治、建章立制，让人民群众切实感受到解决问题的实际成效；要持续改进作风，落实“四下基层”，走好新时代群众路线，纠治形式主义、官僚主义，切实抓好整治形式主义为基层减负工作；要持续夯实基层基础，推进以党建引领基层治理，充分发挥基层党组织战斗堡垒作用和党员先锋模范作用；要持续抓好落实，重实干、做实功、求实效，更好将主题教育成果转化为推动高质量发展的成效。各级党委（党组）要把巩固拓展主题教育成果作为重大政治任务，扛起主体责任，不折不扣抓好落实.
The final paragraph deals with the regulations on disciplinary inspection. It says that these have been revised three times since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012.
“It is necessary to adhere to the positioning of political inspections, take the ‘two safeguards’ as the fundamental task, keep a close eye on power and responsibility, keep a close eye on the ‘top leaders’ and leadership teams, address issues strongly reflected by the masses, and ensure that political supervision is specific, targeted and regular. It is necessary to see real and practical results in strengthening inspections and rectification, consolidate rectification responsibilities, improve the rectification mechanism, make comprehensive use of inspection results, and deepen the treatment of both symptoms and root causes. It is necessary to give full play to the comprehensive supervision role of inspections, strengthen the coordination between inspections and other supervision, and form a joint force of supervision. A fine network for supervision should be established, with inspections conducted by higher-level and lower-level Party committees coordinating with each other. It is necessary to do a good job in studying, publicising and implementing the ‘Regulations’...” 要坚持政治巡视定位，把“两个维护”作为根本任务，紧盯权力和责任，紧盯“一把手”和领导班子，紧盯群众反映强烈的问题，推进政治监督具体化、精准化、常态化。要在强化巡视整改上见真章、求实效，压实整改责任，完善整改机制，综合用好巡视成果，深化标本兼治。要充分发挥巡视综合监督作用，加强巡视与其他监督的贯通协调，形成监督合力。要以巡视带巡察，发挥上下联动的系统优势，扎牢织密监督网。要抓好《条例》学习宣传贯彻，加强巡视队伍自身建设，不断提高巡视工作规范化水平。