Macau Asia Satellite TV:
China has made great progress in its anti-corruption work. What kind of successful experience do you think could be offered for other countries and regions? Thank you.
Yang Xiaodu:
We've tried to keep pace with the changes occurring in the world, our nation and the Party, exploring various modes of Party management, governance and building. We have comprehensively advanced the great cause of Party building to new height with a pioneering spirit, and developed various successful practices for strict governance of the Party and preventing corruption, which can be taken as the experience you've just mentioned. They are indeed precious, and can be summarized as follows:
First, take a clear-cut stand on upholding and strengthening Party leadership. We should firmly maintain the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee and its authority, with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, willingly maintain political integrity, always think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment, enhance strict governance of the Party in a comprehensive way, ensure that the policies, guidelines, decisions and plans made by the CPC Central Committee are fully followed and implemented, and all Party members move in step in terms of thinking, political standpoint and action, thus forming powerful force in Party governance and anti-corruption work. I have visited Singapore and New Zealand by way of Hong Kong, and talked with the principal of the Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong. It is commonly held that the crucial element for anti-corruption work is the resolve of the leadership. As for China, that sort of resolve comes from the CPC Central Committee, and its perseverance, with General Secretary Xi Jinping at its core. We have witnessed it.
Second, stick to the principle of holding firm to ideals and convictions. A solid ideological basis should be laid for Party members and leading cadres to ensure they remain loyal to the Party and to the masses. We should remain confident in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics. We hold that the strict governance of the Party and the anti-corruption work should be implemented at the political and ideological level and should arouse people's consciousness. As for the advanced organization of our Party, members' consciousness is always the source of power and we have accumulated great experience in this aspect. Party members are willing to receive positive education and exude positive energy once we create the environment and conditions with the CPC Central Committee leading the way.
Third, combine ideological work and institution building. It has been a political advantage and good tradition of our Party to strengthen ideological work. Ideological Party building means holding firm to ideals and convictions. Strengthening Party rules and regulations is the long-term and fundamental solution in ensuring strict governance over the Party and winning the fight against corruption. The two aspects should be combined and should supplement each other with joint force.
Fourth, make sure the whole Party follow with firm resolve and perseverance of the lead of example of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee, implementing problem-oriented measures and fulfilling the political responsibilities in Party management and governance. The secretaries of Party committees and groups at all levels should have the first responsibility. They should learn from General Secretary Xi Jinping, manage their leading group and cadres in a proper way, develop loyal, clean and responsible teams and create an upright political environment. Just as is said in management: subordinates behave like the shadows of their superiors; high-minded leaders don't need to call the tune.
Fifth, stick to the practice of learning from mistakes to prevent recurrence and treating the illness to save the patient. We should make sure that Party discipline requires more of Party members than the law does, and that a disciplinary action is taken before a legal action. We must conduct four forms of oversight over discipline compliance to maintain a high-pressure posture as a backup force. Investigation and prosecution according to related laws and disciplines should be applied in a very small number of cases while criticism and education should be applied in the majority of cases. Most people tend to follow the crowd and if those who have made mistakes are not held accountable and punished, more people may follow. If there is a clear requirement to be a moral and well-mannered people and learn advanced and positive things, all of society will become positive and form a favorable environment.
Six, continue to exercise full and strict Party self-governance. We should lay more emphasis on strict, practical, profound and detailed implementation of discipline, and make party members dare not, be unable to, and not want to become corrupt. The three phases need to be completed step by step. We have generally realized the "dare not" phase, as it has received recognition from the masses. We are now advancing to the "cannot" stage, as the space for discipline and law violation has become less. To realize "don't want to do so" is indeed a long process and if we can achieve that, we can claim we have resolved the problem at the very roots.