Regulations of the Communist Party of China on the Disclosure of Party Affairs (for Trial Implementation) -- the publicity of party affairs has stepped into the track of institutionalization and standardization

The ''Regulations on the Disclosure of Party Affairs of the Communist Party of China (Trial) ''(hereinafter referred to as the ''Regulations'') was announced a few days ago. This is the first regulation formulated and promulgated by the Party Central Committee after the 19th National Congress of the Party. It is to implement the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Party and unswervingly and comprehensively. An important measure to govern the party strictly.

What is the practical significance of the formulation and promulgation of the "Regulations" and what are the highlights of the "Regulations" worthy of attention? The reporter recently interviewed Professor Ma Huaide, vice president of China University of Political Science and Law.

It is conducive to promoting the publicity of party affairs to be institutionalized, standardized and procedural

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized in the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China that socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, and our party must have a new atmosphere and new deeds.

Ma Huaide believes that promoting the openness of party affairs is a new act of our party, which is conducive to promoting the formation of a more open, transparent, and self-confident new atmosphere for the party, and building the party stronger and stronger.

In Ma Huaide's view, promoting the openness of party affairs is not only conducive to fully promoting inner-party democracy, unblocking the channels for party members to participate in inner-party affairs, supervise party organizations and cadres, and put forward opinions and suggestions to higher-level party organizations, and fully mobilize the enthusiasm and initiative of the whole party. Creativity is also conducive to promoting the openness and transparency of power operation, putting power in the cage of the system, and promoting the comprehensive and in-depth development of strict governance of the party.

the party central committee has always attached importance to the work of making party affairs public. In recent years, the Party Central Committee has successively issued documents such as the Opinions on Establishing the Party Committee Press Spokesperson System, the Opinions on the Implementation of Party Affairs Disclosure by the Party's Grassroots Organizations, and the Opinions on Establishing and Improving the Information Release and Policy Interpretation Mechanism to promote this Work. In addition, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee jointly issued the opinions on carrying out the pilot work of open and transparent operation of the power of the county Party committee.

In recent years, from the central to the local level, party committee departments and units at all levels have also promoted the openness of party affairs through different forms to let the public understand the status of party affairs. "Many open party affairs work is widely concerned by the whole society." Ma Huaide said that during the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the opening ceremony of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the 19th Central Committee with Chinese and foreign journalists were broadcast live, allowing the whole of China and the world to feel the openness of the Communist Party of China; The Commission for Discipline Inspection promptly notified the investigation and handling of major cases, and the Central Organization Department issued internal party statistical bulletins every year.

In addition to the publicity work at the central level, many provinces, autonomous regions and cities have also actively explored at the local level, and Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan and other places have also issued special documents on the publicity of party affairs.

Ma Huaide believes that in recent years, the practices and experiences of party organizations at all levels in promoting the openness of party affairs have the richness of multiple subjects, multiple contents, multiple forms, and multiple angles. It is necessary to carefully sort out, summarize and refine them to enhance their comprehensiveness., Systematic and integrated, and solidify it, upgrade it to a system, and form a long-term, stable and reliable system to follow to better guide practice.

"It should be noted that compared with the new requirements of the new era, there are still some inadequacies in the publicity of party affairs." According to Ma Huaide's analysis, the work of party affairs disclosure started relatively late, the work force was relatively insufficient, and the overall planning of party affairs disclosure and government affairs disclosure was not enough; the problem of unbalanced development of party affairs disclosure at different levels, different regions, and different departments was more prominent, some of which were promoted with great efforts, and some of which were relatively small; some localities and departments did not grasp the public content well enough, party members and the masses cannot fully understand and participate in party affairs, and there are also issues that should not be made public, and improper disclosure of party and state secrets; public procedures are not standardized enough, and some subjects and powers of review and approval are not strict enough; public carriers are not rich enough, The method is relatively single, which to a certain extent restricts the maximization of the effect of party affairs disclosure; strict supervision and assessment, supervision and inspection mechanisms have not been established and so on.

The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China clearly stated that the formation of a system of internal party laws and regulations covering all aspects of party leadership and party building should be accelerated. The Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of Inner-Party Laws and Regulations issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China also clearly requires that by the 100 anniversary of the founding of the party, a relatively complete inner-party laws and regulations system, an efficient inner-party laws and regulations system implementation system, and a powerful inner-party laws and regulations System construction guarantee system. Ma Huaide believes that "the regulations belong to the" four beams and eight pillars "of this system. After it is set up, the system and regulations on the disclosure of party affairs issued before will have a sense of belonging. After that, a number of supporting systems can be formulated directly according to the regulations, forming a group of party affairs disclosure systems centered on the regulations, so as to provide a strong institutional guarantee for promoting the work of party affairs disclosure."

The publicity of party affairs covers all kinds of organizations at all levels of the party, and the work is fully covered and there are no dead corners.
 

According to Ma Huaide's analysis, in view of the outstanding problems existing in the current practice, the regulations focus on strengthening and standardizing the work of party affairs disclosure. In terms of entities, the contents and scope of party affairs disclosure are clearly defined. There are several highlights worthy of attention:

-- A clear definition of "openness in party affairs. For a long time, there have been some different views in theory and practice on what is open party affairs. The "Regulations" have a final word, pointing out that the publicity of party affairs refers to the party organization's implementation of party leadership activities and strengthening party building work related affairs, which are disclosed within the party or outside the party in accordance with regulations.

The so-called "party affairs" covers two aspects of the party's leadership and ruling activities, and the party's own construction. These two aspects, one inside and the other outside, together constitute the full scope of party affairs.

The so-called "openness" includes two levels of openness within the party and openness outside the party. This is determined by the attributes of the party. It is different from openness in government affairs only to the outside world. The regulations not only enhance the openness and transparency of inner-party affairs, but also take into account the needs of confidentiality work, which is more in line with reality.

-Full coverage of the main body of party affairs publicity, no dead corners. In the past, in practice, it was not very clear which subjects were included in the publicity of party affairs, especially on whether the party group and the institutions directly under the party committee needed to implement the publicity of party affairs. In order to solve this problem, Article 3 of the regulations stipulates that "these regulations shall apply to the party's central organizations, local organizations, grass-roots organizations, the party's discipline inspection organs, working organs and other party organizations." According to this, the main body of party affairs disclosure can be divided into three categories: one is the party's central organization, local organization, and grassroots organization. They are the main force of party affairs disclosure and undertake a large number of party affairs disclosure responsibilities and tasks; the second is the party's discipline inspection agency, Responsible for disclosing the work of discipline inspection; third, party organizations such as party working organs, party committees, institutions directly under the party committee, and party groups, party affairs should be made public in conjunction with their own functions and responsibilities. These three types of subjects basically cover all types of party organizations at all levels, which is conducive to achieving full coverage of party affairs and no dead ends.

-- Regulating the content of party affairs disclosure layer by layer from macro to micro. Article 2 of the Regulations clarifies that the content of party affairs disclosure mainly includes two major sections: party leadership activities and party building work; Article 7 makes general provisions on the universal content of party affairs disclosure; Articles 9 to 13 The public content of various types of party organizations at all levels is stipulated separately; Article 14 requires party organizations to further refine the public content of party affairs, compile a public catalog of party affairs, and be tailored to suit their needs. The content of the above four levels is conducive to party members and the masses to better understand party affairs, and it is also conducive to promoting the operation of party power in the sun.

　Exploring New Forms of Party Affairs Openly and Strengthening the Supervision and Guarantee of Party Affairs Openly
 

Ma Huaide said that the "Regulations" also made clear and specific provisions on the scope, procedures, methods, and supervision and accountability of party affairs disclosure.

-- The scope of disclosure is divided into four categories. According to the party's organizational responsibilities and powers, the degree of connection between party affairs and party members and the masses, the Regulations stipulate four types of disclosure, mainly including disclosure to the public, disclosure to the whole party, disclosure to the region, department, and unit. Open to specific party organizations, party members and the masses. The Regulations specify the specific circumstances corresponding to the scope of each type of party affairs disclosure.

-- The open approach focuses on the combination of tradition and modernity. In the way of publicity, the regulations reflect the combination of tradition and modernity. The Regulations stipulate that party organizations should reasonably determine the method of disclosure based on the content and scope of party affairs disclosure, combined with their own actual conditions, and pay attention to giving priority to the use of party newspapers, radio and television stations, key news websites and other party media for publication. Improve the party committee's spokesperson system, explore the establishment of a unified party affairs information disclosure platform, and enhance the authority and influence of party affairs disclosure.

It is worth noting that in order to allow party members and the masses to better participate in various systems of party affairs, the Regulations stipulate new forms of party affairs disclosure, including party members' attendance at party committee meetings, party congress representatives attending party committee meetings, and internal party briefings., Consultation on party affairs, solicitation of opinions on major decisions, social publicity and social hearings on major issues, etc., continue to expand the breadth and depth of party members and the masses to participate in party affairs disclosure.

-- Strengthened supervision and safeguards. In order to ensure that the requirements of party affairs disclosure are implemented and the effect is optimized, the regulations require the establishment and improvement of supporting guarantee working mechanisms such as confidentiality review, risk assessment, information release, policy interpretation, public opinion guidance, public opinion analysis, emergency response, etc., and emphasize the monitoring and feedback of information related to party affairs disclosure, If there is untrue, incomplete and inaccurate information, it should be clarified and guided in time. The "Regulations" also stipulate the work report, assessment and evaluation, supervision and inspection systems for the disclosure of party affairs from the perspective of strengthening the supervision of superiors to subordinates. At the same time, it also stipulates the accountability, which is conducive to the party's organization to consolidate responsibilities and implement responsibilities.

"While it is important to have rules to follow, it is even more important to follow them." Ma Huaide believes that the formulation of the "Regulations" is only the first step in the Long March, and only by implementing the "Regulations" can the work of making party affairs public continue to advance. After the "Regulations" are issued, the key is to strictly implement them, implement various regulations in place, and let the system take root.

January 3, 2018 Source: People's Daily