CPC Leadership Is Essential to Chinese Socialism*

September 5, 2014-February 13, 2017

I

The leadership of the CPC is essential to socialism with Chinese characteristics. The People's Republic of China is prosperous and strong. It would not exist without the CPC. 

To uphold the CPC as the core of the leadership is essential to the future of the Chinese nation. The leadership of the CPC guarantees the position of the people as masters of their own affairs. 

We must remain committed to the Party's core role in exercising overall leadership and coordinating the efforts of all, ensuring that the Party's guidelines, principles, policies, decisions, and plans are carried out comprehensively and effectively through the system of people's congresses.

We must support and safeguard the agencies of state power in carrying out their work separately yet concertedly, in accordance with the Constitution and the law. 

We must strengthen and improve the Party's leadership, turn the Party's views into the will of the state through legal procedures, train candidates recommended by Party organizations to become leaders of agencies of state power, exercise the Party's leadership over the country and society through agencies of state power, and maintain the authority of both the Party and the state and the unification of the Party and the country under the principle of democratic centralism.

(from the speech at the meeting marking the 60th anniversary of the
National People's Congress, September 5, 2014)

II

CPC leadership is the common choice by the Chinese people from all political parties, people's organizations, ethnic groups, social strata, and all walks of life. It is the primary feature of Chinese socialism and the fundamental guarantee for the progress of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). To stay on the right development course, the CPPCC must uphold CPC leadership.

(from the speech at the meeting marking the 65th anniversary of the
CPPCC, September 21, 2014)

III

To lead more than 1.3 billion people to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects, the Party must adapt to, grasp, and steer the new normal of economic development, be innovative in its principles, institutions and methods for leading economic and social development, improve its ability in making overall plans, strategies and policies and advancing reform, and set the direction and steer the way for national development.

(from the speech at the second full assembly of the Fifth Plenary
Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, October 29, 2015)

IV

It is a great blessing for China, the Chinese people and the Chinese nation to have the CPC as the ruling party. As long as we read and understand the history of modern China and that of its revolution, it is readily apparent that without the leadership of the CPC, our country and our nation would not have made such great progress, nor would we have achieved such high international standing. In maintaining the fundamental principle of upholding the Party's leadership, we should be particularly sober-minded and keen-sighted and take a firm stand, allowing no ambiguity or wavering.

(from the speech at the National Conference on Party Schools, 
December 11, 2015)

V

Upholding the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee and establishing and maintaining the Party's leading core represent the common will of the entire Party and the Chinese people. It is an urgent requirement for strictly governing the Party and for enhancing its creativity, cohesiveness and capability, and also a fundamental guarantee to ensure that the causes of the Party and the country stay on the right path.

(from the "Explanation of the 'Regulations for Political Activities
Within the Party in the New Era' and the 'Regulations of the
Communist Party of China on Internal Scrutiny'", October 24, 2016)

VI

An ancient Chinese said: "If decrees are not obeyed, government affairs will be mismanaged." The Party exercises overall leadership over all areas of endeavor in every part of the country. The theories, guidelines and policies defined by the CPC Central Committee are the foundation to ensure all Party members and people of all ethnic groups in China are united in mindset, determination and action. Only with authority can the CPC Central Committee pool the strength of all Party members and unite the whole Party and the whole nation, bringing into being an invincible force of the same aspiration. If the CPC Central Committee had no authority the Party's theories, guidelines and policies could not have been implemented, and different departments would have acted in disunity. The Party would have become fragmented and become a "private club", turning the Party's leadership into empty voices.

(from the speech at a study session on implementing the decisions of
the Sixth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee,
attended by officials at the provincial/ministerial level,
February 13, 2017)

* Excerpts from speeches made between September 5, 2014 and February 13, 2017.

(Not to be republished for any commercial or other purposes.)