The Resolution of the CCP Central Committee on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization (hereinafter referred to as the Resolution) adopted at the Third Plenum of the 20th Party Central Committee outlines a reform blueprint centered on building a strong nation and the great cause of national rejuvenation, emphasizes deepening the Party’s work on building a clean and honest government and combating corruption, and makes major arrangements for eradicating the breeding ground and conditions for corruption. This is a major measure to improve the Party’s leadership in further deepening reforms comprehensively and advancing Chinese-style modernization on the new journey, and to lead a revolution in society through a revolution in the Party itself. We must truly align our thoughts and actions with the spirit of the Resolution, persist in using the spirit of reform to strive to eradicate the breeding ground and conditions for corruption, and ensure that the Party will never change its nature, color, or flavor and will always remain the strong leadership core of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. 

I. Deeply understand the significance of eradicating the breeding ground and conditions for corruption 

Entering the new era, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has incorporated comprehensive and strict governance of the Party into the “Four Comprehensives” strategic layout and launched an unprecedented anti-corruption campaign with the mission of “offending thousands of people but not letting down 1.4 billion people.” They have promoted efforts so that people dare not to be corrupt, cannot be corrupt, and do not want to be corrupt in an integrated manner, eliminated serious hidden dangers within the Party, the country, and the military, promoted the overwhelming victory and comprehensive consolidation of the anti-corruption struggle, and provided strong assurances for the smooth realization of the first centennial objective and the march towards the second centennial objective. Based on a summary of the historic achievements in the fight against corruption, the Report to the 20th Party Congress profoundly pointed out that “the task of eradicating the breeding ground for corruption remains arduous” and emphasized that “as long as the breeding ground and conditions for corruption exist, the fight against corruption can never stop and the charge must always be sounded.” At the Third Plenum of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, General Secretary Xi Jinping further pointed out that: “On the new journey of the fight against corruption, we must continue to exert our strength and advance in depth in eradicating the breeding ground and conditions for corruption.” This is a strategic deployment made by our Party based on its historical position and the historical mission on its shoulders. It has great practical significance and a fundamental guiding role. 

(a) This is an inevitable requirement for serving and safeguarding Chinese-style modernization. The social revolution led by the Party has embarked on a new journey, and the Party’s self-revolution must show new spirit. Promoting Chinese-style modernization is a pioneering undertaking unprecedented in history, which requires achieving higher quality, more efficient, fairer, more sustainable, and safer development. Corruption pollutes the political ecosystem, undermines fairness and justice, damages the business environment, infringes upon the interests of the people, and accumulates hidden risks. It is a “roadblock” and “stumbling block” to achieving Chinese-style modernization. In the new era and on the new journey, the fight against corruption must focus on the central tasks of the Party and the country, serve high-quality development, implement the deployment of further deepening reforms comprehensively, focus efforts on the source and deepen treatment of the root causes, strive to create a clean political ecosystem and a good development environment, and clear away obstacles to provide an escort for the advancement of Chinese-style modernization. 

(b) This is a strategic choice to accurately grasp the situation of the fight against corruption. General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that we have won an overwhelming victory in the fight against corruption, which has been comprehensively consolidated, but the situation remains difficult and complex. The current anti-corruption struggle has entered deep waters. Existing corruption has not yet been cleaned up and new cases are still occurring, indicating that the breeding ground and conditions for corruption have not yet been completely eradicated. From a political perspective, the “Seven Types of Misconduct” still exist to varying degrees, and the political ecosystem within the Party needs to be continuously purified. From an economic perspective, the improper gains of the “hunters” [of bribes and kickbacks] and the “hunted” far exceed the costs they pay, and the temptation of benefits is enormous. From an institutional perspective, some institutional norms are still imperfect, leaving room for rent-seeking. From a cultural perspective, erroneous ideas such as leveraging personal relationships and using backdoors still have a market, blurring the boundaries between right and wrong and eroding social customs. From a responsibility perspective, some Party organizations fail to fulfill their political responsibilities of managing and governing the Party, some leading cadres do not want to be disliked by their colleagues, lack the spirit of struggle, and let problems run rampant. If such ground and conditions are not eradicated, corruption will become impossible to detect. In the new era and on the new journey, the fight against corruption must be targeted, precise, and multi-pronged. We must continuously increase the cost of corruption, reduce opportunities for corruption, eliminate the motivation for corruption, and keep moving toward the goal of fundamentally solving the problem of corruption. 

(c) This is a key measure to seize the opportunity to win the tough and long-term battle against corruption. After the 18th Party Congress, we took drastic measures and overcame all difficulties. After the 19th Party Congress, we continued to work hard and advance steadily. After the 20th Party Congress, our Party led the people to successfully embark on the path of anti-corruption with Chinese characteristics and pushed the anti-corruption struggle to a new and higher starting point. The Party’s understanding of the laws of the anti-corruption struggle is becoming increasingly profound, its analysis and judgment of corruption issues are becoming more accurate, and its definitions are becoming clearer. Anti-corruption tactics are becoming increasingly diverse, and with the help of information technology such as big data, a group of deeply hidden corrupt elements has been uncovered. Anti-corruption methods are becoming more scientific, and we insist on the organic combination of individual case investigation and punishment and systematic rectification. The results of anti-corruption are constantly expanding, laying a solid foundation for further deepening of governance targeting the source. In the new era and on the new journey, we must make greater efforts in the fight against corruption to eradicate the breeding ground and conditions for corruption, unswervingly eradicate the cancer, remove the source of the poison, and eliminate the influence of the poison, fundamentally consolidate the hard-earned achievements of victory, and make unremitting efforts to achieve a peaceful and prosperous world. 

II. Accurately grasp the important principle of eradicating the breeding ground and conditions for corruption 

The Resolution regards eradicating the breeding ground and conditions for corruption as an important part of advancing the Party’s self-revolution, and requires the Party to continuously advance its self-purification, self-perfection, self-innovation, and self-improvement. We must take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as our guide, thoroughly implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thoughts on the party’s self-revolution, implement the practical requirements of the “Nine Withs” [九个以], summarize and apply the valuable experience of comprehensive and strict governance of the Party in the new era, deepen the treatment of both symptoms and root causes and systematic treatment measures, and continuously enhance the effectiveness of corruption governance. 

(a) We must uphold the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. Eradicating the breeding ground and conditions for corruption is an arduous, complex, and systematic project that can only be carried out effectively under the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee. We must deeply understand the decisive significance of the “Two Establishes,” strengthen the “Four Consciousnesses,” strengthen the “Four Confidences,” and achieve the “Two Upholds,” improve systems and mechanisms of the Party Central Committee’s leadership over anti-corruption work, put into practice the political responsibilities of Party organizations at all levels to comprehensively and strictly govern the Party, and make anti-corruption work more coordinated and efficient in terms of decision-making, deployment, and command, resource integration, and the use of measures and means. 

(b) We must insist on promoting not daring to be corrupt, not being able to be corrupt, and not wanting to be corrupt (the “three nots”) in an integrated manner. Promoting the “three-nots” in an integrated manner is the basic policy for the fight against corruption and an important strategy for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. “Not daring to be corrupt” is the premise, and its focus is on forming a powerful deterrent with no blind spots, full coverage, and zero tolerance. “Not being able to be corrupt” is the key, and its focus is on strengthening the rigid constraints and effective supervision of the allocation and operation of authority. “Not wanting to be corrupt” is the root, and its focus is on cultivating the ideological awareness of integrity, dedication, resistance to corruption, and prevention of degeneration. We must open up internal connections among the three, exert efforts simultaneously, in the same direction, and in a comprehensive manner, and promote the organic unity and mutual promotion of the “three nots.” 

(c) We must adhere to using the spirit of reform to prevent and fight corruption. Reform and innovation are the driving forces for improving the governance system and enhancing governance capacity, and are important magic bullets for eradicating the breeding ground and conditions for corruption. We must plan, deploy, and implement anti-corruption measures and reform initiatives together, improve the authority operation mechanisms based on scientific allocation, effective constraints, and strong supervision, and reduce the space for arbitrary exercise of authority. We must promote innovation in anti-corruption institutions, mechanisms, methods, and approaches, make good use of S&T empowerment, and continuously improve the capacity and level of anti-corruption efforts. 

(d) We must adhere to never-ending perseverance and determination on this road. Corruption is a common phenomenon in human society, and eradicating it is a long-term historical process. We must always make clear our Party’s political stance that corruption is incompatible with our Party, have a firm determination to remain true to our principles and resolve, maintain a strict tone, strict measures, and a strict atmosphere for the long-term, focus on eradicating the breeding ground and conditions for corruption, gradually reduce recurring old problems and make it difficult for new problems to spread, and promote the normalization and long-term effectiveness of corruption prevention and control. 

III. Resolutely implement the key tasks of eradicating the breeding ground and conditions for corruption 

The Resolution focuses on eradicating the breeding ground and conditions for corruption, and clarifies the key tasks and important measures for the current and future period. We must implement the deployments of the Resolution in an in-depth manner, improve the work mechanisms to promote the “three nots” of corruption, and coordinate the implementation of tasks. 

(a) We must improve the responsibility system of the Party in leading the fight against corruption. The Resolution points out that the leadership of the Party is the fundamental guarantee for the further deepening of reforms comprehensively and advancing Chinese-style modernization. We must improve systems and mechanisms of anti-corruption for the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, overall command of Party committees at all levels, organization and coordination by Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commissions, efficient collaboration of functional departments, and participation and support of the people. We must strengthen the primary responsibility of Party committees (Party groups) at all levels for comprehensively and strictly governing the Party, especially the responsibility of the “top leader” as the primary person in charge, implement the supervisory responsibilities of relevant functional departments, and improve the responsibility structure for managing and governing the Party with each group and individual taking responsibility and coordinating in a unified manner. We must integrate the eradication of the breeding ground and conditions for corruption into the overall layout of Party building and include it in the deployment and promotion of a sound, comprehensive, and strict system of Party governance, integrate this with the Party’s political construction, ideological construction, organizational construction, work style construction, discipline construction, and institutional construction, give play to the important roles of political supervision, ideological education, organizational management, work style rectification, discipline enforcement, and institutional improvement in the prevention and control of corruption, and do a good job in fighting the overall battle against corruption. 

(b) We must always maintain the high pressure of punishment and deterrence. Faced with the still severe and complex situation, we must never turn back, relax, or show mercy in the fight against corruption. We must improve the mechanisms of political supervision that are specific, precise, and normalized, strictly enforce political discipline and rules, promptly discover and focus our efforts on solving the “Seven Types of Misconduct,” be tough on those who form political gangs, cliques, and interest groups within the Party, and resolutely eliminate political risks. We must keep a close eye on key issues, key areas, and key targets, make the severe punishment of corruption involving collusion between government and business a top priority in the tough battle, and deepen the rectification of corruption in areas where power is concentrated, capital is intensive, and resources are rich such as finance, state-owned enterprises, energy, tobacco, medicine, infrastructure projects, and bidding. We must enrich effective methods for preventing and controlling new types of corruption and hidden corruption, establish a linkage mechanism for corruption early warning and punishment, and strengthen rapid response to and joint handling of corruption. We must coordinate the international and domestic battlefields, improve the mechanisms for pursuing, preventing, and recovering fugitives and illicitly acquired assets, continue to carry out the “Skynet Initiative,” strengthen integrity in the construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, concentrate on rectifying the problem of cross-border corruption, and never let corrupt elements go unpunished. We must promote the extension of the anti-corruption struggle to the grassroots and to the people, punish the “petty corrupt officials” in close contact with the people, and give the people a greater sense of achievement. 

(c) We must strengthen mechanisms for jointly investigating and addressing unhealthy practices and corruption. Unhealthy practices and corruption are mutually interdependent and stem from the same source. Unhealthy practices breed and conceal corruption, while corrupt behavior encourages and exacerbates unhealthy practices and even gives rise to new work style problems. We must deeply understand the interweaving of unhealthy practices and corruption, unremittingly implement the spirit of the Eight Regulations of the Central Committee, and persist in both tackling unhealthy practices and combating corruption. We must “investigate corruption through unhealthy practices” to prevent “corruption covered by unhealthy practices” and delve deeply into corruption problems such as power-for-money transactions and power-for-power transactions behind unhealthy practices. We must “correct unhealthy practices through corruption” to carefully investigate work style problems such as hedonism and extravagance that lay behind corruption. We must deepen the investigation of both giving and receiving bribes, improve the joint punishment mechanism for key givers of bribes, resolutely investigate and punish those givers of bribes who always drag officials into bribery and endanger them, and increase the efforts to recover and correct the improper benefits obtained from bribery. We must insist on investigating both the perpetrators and beneficiaries of fraud, severely punish political fraudsters and Party members and cadres who are close to political fraudsters, and eradicate this source of pollution of the political ecosystem. 

(d) We must improve the constraints and supervision mechanisms on the allocation and operation of power. The essence of corruption is the abuse of power. We must improve the constraint mechanisms of the allocation and operation of power, resolutely oppose the idea and phenomenon of privilege, keep a firm hold of key powers such as policy-making, decision-making, approval, and supervision, focus on deepening the reform of institutions and mechanisms in key areas, accelerate the construction of governance mechanisms in emerging fields, further plug institutional loopholes, standardize discretionary powers, and reduce opportunities for rent-seeking. We must implement the general requirements of the unified leadership, comprehensive coverage, and effective authority of the Party, improve the Party and state supervision system, take intra-Party supervision as the guide, specialized supervision as the backbone, and grassroots supervision as the support, and promote the coordination of various types of supervision. We must continue to deepen the reform of the discipline inspection and supervision system, optimize the functions of supervision and inspection and investigation and review agencies, improve the discipline inspection and supervision system of vertical management units, promote the comprehensive deployment of discipline inspection and supervision teams to centrally-managed enterprises, improve systems and mechanisms of inspection and supervision work, promote the organic alignment between discipline enforcement and criminal justice, and deepen the reform of the institutions and mechanisms of grassroots supervision. We must promote the construction of a big data supervision platform for public power, use informatized methods to promptly discover common problems, strengthen early warning and correction, and use openness and transparency to prevent the abuse of power. We must focus on the “key few,” improve and strengthen the supporting supervision system for the “top leaders” and leadership teams, and make supervision more targeted and effective. 

(e) We must improve the system of intra-Party regulations and institutions and the anti-corruption legal system. To effectively prevent the breeding of corruption, we must move the defense line forward and strengthen the constraints of discipline and law. We must improve the Party’s internal regulations, establish a discipline education mechanism that combines regular and intensive activities, enhance the effectiveness of Party discipline learning and education, and encourage Party members and cadres to engrave compliance with rules and regulations on their hearts. We must strictly enforce discipline, deepen the use of the “Four Forms” of supervision and discipline, and resolutely investigate and deal with any violation of Party discipline that is discovered. We must not only give sharp fangs to strict discipline and show its power, but also make cadres vigilant and know when to stop. We must be adept at using rule of law thinking and methods to prevent and fight corruption, improve and perfect basic laws and regulations, continuously promote national anti-corruption legislation, amend the Supervision Law to bring it in line with the times, and introduce an anti-cross-border corruption law. We must strengthen supervision and inspection of the enforcement of key laws and regulations and ensure the strict operation of institutions. 

(f) We must strengthen the construction of a culture of integrity in the new era. To eradicate the breeding ground and conditions for corruption, it is a fundamental necessity that we make the majority of Party members and cadres consciously resist the temptation of corruption deep in their hearts. We must improve the long-term mechanisms for education on ideals, beliefs, and Party spirit, guide Party members and cadres to arm their minds with the Party’s innovative theories, strengthen their foundations with ideals and beliefs, constantly improve their Party spirit and ideological mindset, and lay a solid ideological foundation for resisting corruption and preventing degeneration. We must deeply explore the rich connotations of our excellent traditional culture of integrity, and use excellent traditional culture to correct our thinking and raise our morality. We must actively publicize the concepts and models of integrity, and pay attention to the construction of the family, family education, and family tradition. We must innovate our warning and education methods, deeply analyze typical cases, and improve the mechanism of using case studies to explain morality, discipline, law, and responsibility. We must use good Party and government styles to guide social and popular customs, and promote the formation of a social atmosphere where integrity is honored and corruption is shameful.