BEIJING, Oct. 28 -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee convened a key meeting from Monday to Thursday, approving new efforts to strengthen governance of the Party.

The sixth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee is of crucial importance for the Party, which has over 88 million members, as stricter governance will standardize the Party's political life and strengthen intra-Party supervision, according to experts.

STANDARDIZING POLITICAL LIFE

The session approved a document on norms of political life within the Party under current conditions.

According to the communique issued after the session, self-discipline and strict governance of the Party "must begin with intra-Party political life."

Xin Ming, a professor with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said standardized intra-Party political life is fundamental to comprehensive and strict Party governance.

In 1980, the CPC introduced a document outlining the norms of intra-Party political life, targeting serious events in the Party's history, such as the poor implementation of collective leadership, democratic centralism and intra-Party criticism.

However, Xin said that the world, the country and the Party have all sustained tremendous changes during the past three decades, indicating the need for new criteria.

The changes highlight principles such as maintaining close ties with the people, criticism and self criticism, democratic centralism, and intra-Party democracy.

These norms set criteria to address problems plaguing intra-Party political life, such as not taking political life seriously and attempting to form cliques, Xin said.

GUARANTEEING POLITICAL LIFE

The session also touched upon several issues crucial to standardizing political life, stating that intra-Party democracy is fundamental to positive and healthy political life.

Professor Xin said that intra-Party democracy is not well observed in some areas, for example, when certain individuals superimpose their will in the recruitment of key officials, investment decisions and the use of funds.

In order to maintain long-term rule, the CPC must ensure the democratic rights of all members and make sure their voices are heard, Xin added.

The meeting agreed that democratic centralism is the fundamental organizing principle of the Party, an important institutional guarantee in inter-party governance.

Wang Yukai, professor with the Chinese Academy of Governance, said that many officials had fallen from grace due to an inadequate focus on democratic centralism, as exemplified by their status as singular decision-makers, which had led to power abuse and corruption.

The CPC promised to address election malpractice, putting an end to the buying and selling of official posts and vote rigging, while stressing integrity in promotions.

"The crux of the quest for a clean and healthy intra-Party political environment is selecting officials," Wang said

On the one hand, misbehavior must be curbed and seriously dealt with; on the other hand, officials who dare to take on challenges and responsibilities that others evade should be encouraged, Wang said.

A system should be created that tolerate mistakes made by officials who pursue reform and innovation, Wang added.

STRENGTHENED SUPERVISION

At the session, attendees approved a regulation on intra-Party supervision. The communique released after the session stressed supervision as the fundamental guarantee for exercising power, as well as being a crucial measure for strengthening and regulating political life.

It called for integrating intra-Party supervision with the public, in a bid to strengthen the Party's ability to regulate itself, improve itself and innovate itself for the purpose of long-term rule.

Supervision was one of the keywords at the session, and it appeared in the communique over 40 times.

Li Yongzhong, former deputy head of the Chinese Discipline Inspection Institute, said the new regulation would serve as a tool for intra-Party supervision, and bolster the inspection of Party committees, as well as encourage the public to take part in the anti-graft drive.

Wang said that as Party members account for the majority of China's civil servants, intra-Party supervision is vital in building a clean government.

With the new regulation, as well as other new regulations approved in recent days, intra-Party supervision will be further improved, Wang added.

The communique also noted that supervision is fundamental in the correct operation of political power, and important in strengthening and regulating political life. It said that power without restrictions should never exist in the Party.

Li added that excessive centralized power and power abuse would lead to privilege and corruption. Therefore, keeping power controlled and improving the supervision of power is a must for the Party.

CORE OF LEADERSHIP

The communique called on all CPC members to "closely unite around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinpingas the core."

"The call is conducive to establishing the authority of the CPC Central Committee, increasing solidarity within the Party, and enhancing cohesion and fighting capacity," Xin said.

A leading core is vital to a country and a political party, and the CPC Central Committee must have a core in order to guarantee that the CPC becomes a Marxist ruling party and a steady leading power of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core reflects the common aspiration of people from all ethnic groups in China, Xin said.

It is in the fundamental interests of the Party and state, and a fundamental guarantee for strengthening the CPC leadership.

Since Xi took helm of the CPC in late 2012, the Party has achieved profound achievements in reform, development, stability, internal and foreign affairs, national defense, Party governance and state administration.

The reason the CPC has always been endorsed by the public and won victory in revolutionary struggles lies in its core of strong leadership, which leads the Party and people to progress constantly, Xin said.