CPC 'democratic life' meeting highlights Xi's core status

BEIJING -- Twenty-five members of China's top leadership reached consensus, and highlighted Xi Jinping's position at the core of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and its Central Committee, at a two-day meeting, which ended Tuesday.

"It is the aspiration of the whole Party and the people to have Xi, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, serve at the core of the CPC and its Central Committee," said a statement issued after the "democratic life meeting."

"Under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi at the core, China has made historic achievements and witnessed profound changes since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012.

"Xi has shown firm faith and will, clear commitment to the people, extraordinary political wisdom and tactics and a strong sense of responsibility, in leading the CPC and China in the great struggle with many new contemporary features," the statement said.

"The meeting has laid an ideological foundation for the whole Party and the nation to embark on a new journey in the new era," said Jing Junping, a professor with the school of Marxism at Wuhan University in central China's Hubei Province.

The meeting was the first of its kind by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee since the landmark 19th CPC National Congress, when "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era" was written into the newly revised CPC Constitution.

Delivering a report to the 19th CPC National Congress, Xi gave a 14-point list of fundamental principles that underpin the endeavors to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era.

The principles ranged from ensuring Party leadership over all work to promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Xi's Thought represents the latest achievement in adapting Marxism to a Chinese context and is a long-term guide for action that the Party must adhere to and develop.

The meeting held from Monday to Tuesday reiterated the importance of studying Xi's Thought, upholding the centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi at the core, as well as realizing the goals set at the 19th CPC National Congress.

Stressing the importance of the authority of the CPC Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership, Xi urged members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee to regard it as a "political benchmark."

On Wednesday, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee decided to discuss a proposal on amending part of China's Constitution as a major part of the agenda at the second plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee in January.

The democratic life meeting, a long-time CPC tradition, saw members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee reflect on their own performance and criticize themselves and each other.

They should "highly identify with, firmly safeguard, willingly obey and closely follow the leadership of CPC Central Committee in terms of political stance, direction, principle and path," Xi said at the meeting.

"The meeting showed the CPC Central Committee's determination to implement the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress and set an example for local authorities in terms of closely following the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi at the core," said Dai Yanjun, a professor with the CPC Central Committee Party School.

Dai said that undesirable work styles were "intractable and recurrent," and that "only by containing misconduct of formalities for formalities' sake and bureaucratism, can the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress be implemented in practice."