BEIJING, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- A few days before the New Year, senior leaders of the Communist Party of China (CPC) sat down in the Zhongnanhai leadership compound for an annual criticism and self-criticism session.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, urged his colleagues at the meeting -- all members of the Political Bureau the CPC Central Committee -- to set an example for the entire Party to continuously improve conduct.

The meeting capped a year's endeavor in that regard.

In 2020, an extremely unusual year rattled by COVID-19, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core led by example to forge the Party's good conduct, pooling extraordinary strength to overcome difficulties.

PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST

The Party's fundamental purpose is to serve the people wholeheartedly.

In the face of the once-in-a-century pandemic, Xi has personally taken charge and planned the national response against the virus.

He presided over a series of high-level meetings, made the decision to close outbound transportation channels from the virus-ravaged city of Wuhan and the province of Hubei, and undertook field trips to Beijing and Wuhan at critical moments to command the fight.

Under this strong leadership, Party members stepped up the fight against the virus with great unity and courage.

The year 2020 also marked the final stage of the country's mission to eradicate absolute poverty and complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

To overcome various difficulties and challenges and achieve the targets on time, Xi engaged himself in unusually frequent inspection tours, visiting 13 provincial regions one after another, attending a series of important meetings and events, and leading efforts on multiple fronts to fight COVID-19, floods and poverty.

Xi knows that the correct path comes from the people. In creating the proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan, Xi convened seven symposiums and met with rural teachers, farmers, truck drivers, deliverymen and restaurant owners to hear their voices.

He also instructed the proposal drafters to open online channels to solicit opinions from the public. In two weeks, more than 1 million pieces of suggestions were collected.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

As a leader dedicated to people's wellbeing, Xi always liked to interact with those local residents he met during domestic inspections.

He also insisted that his entourage pay for the meals incurred during the inspections.

He was firm in curbing food waste and called for society-wide respect for frugality.

The fifth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee in October set an example by advocating participants to clean their plates when they dined in canteens.

Xi made it a prime area of focus to implement the Party's eight-point code on Party and government conduct. He stressed the issue at various high-level meetings he convened over the past year.

He also issued more than 50 important instructions on rectifying formalities for formalities' sake and bureaucratism, as well as ending food waste.

Senior leaders including Li Keqiang, Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng followed suit, starting with themselves and the places, sectors or departments under their watch.

National meetings were streamlined and digitalized, with more video and telephone meetings replacing on-site ones. The past year also saw official documents and briefings reduced, as well as fewer outbound visits made by senior officials.

The senior leaders also strictly abided by regulations on housing and using official vehicles, and set good examples in preventing food waste.

CONTINUOUS ENDEAVOR

At a plenary meeting of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) in January 2020, Xi once again stressed the need to firmly implement the eight-point conduct code to prevent old problems from resurging and new problems from emerging.

Prominent problems concerning undesirable conduct, such as the practice of formalities for formalities' sake and bureaucratism, have been rectified stringently.

The CCDI and the National Supervisory Commission continued publishing their monthly report on the punishment of officials who have violated the eight-point conduct code, having published it continuously for 87 consecutive months by December.

As the number of cases involving the problems of hedonism and extravagance decreased, improved Party conduct also led to the elevation of overall social ethics.

The shady interests that were involved in public fund consumption have been removed and the extravagant spending has been stopped.

Party members and cadres have taken the lead in inheriting and promoting the traditional virtues of diligence and thrift, as well as establishing good family virtues.

Stepping into 2021, China has embarked on a new quest to fully build a modern socialist country. The century-old CPC, with its ever-strong ability to self-reform, is sure to lead the nation to secure one victory after another.