Stronger Discipline for New Horizons

How should a ruling party govern itself in a complicated and volatile international situation? The efforts of the Communist Party of China (CPC) should serve as an example for coping with this problem anywhere in the world.

Every institution that holds power over others risks corruption when restrictions and checks on power fail. The anti-corruption campaign of the CPC has garnered interest around the world, not only because of China’s influence, but also because many nations are experiencing similar domestic problems. Recent events in many countries attest to the universality of corruption. Russia’s Minister of Economic Development was arrested on suspicion of taking bribes. India launched demonetization of high-denomination banknotes to fight against corruption and the flow of black money. The South Korean presidential scandal involved a friend of the leader being accused of extorting huge sums of money as donations from big businesses. Francis Fukuyama wrote in Foreign Affairs that Donald Trump won the American presidency in part because of the public’s anger at “the capture of the political system by well-organized interest groups.” The resolution and strategies involved in China’s latest crackdown on corruption, which are being analyzed globally, have much to offer even for more advanced nations.

After the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party launched an ambitious anti-corruption campaign. The political ecology within the Party has improved remarkably. The world’s reaction to the campaign began with quickly running headlines reporting the arrest of high-ranking officials one by one, then turned to complimenting the campaign as “more than a gust of wind,” and finally formed a widespread consensus that the Party’s efforts were a groundbreaking political innovation of the times. The consensus was followed by myriad comparisons and reflections. Joseph Samuel Nye, Jr., the scholar who coined the term “soft power,” once posited that anti-corruption efforts would enhance the CPC’s soft power. That notion seems to have been proven accurate. After the sixth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, many observers who previously showed little regard for China’s politics made a U-turn, picking apart seemingly simple statements, such as “A permanent cure is achieved by an accumulation of temporary solutions,” “Support of the people is the core of politics,” and “To forge iron, the hammer must be strong,” found in the CPC Central Committee’s reports. As the practice of strengthening Party discipline has started being illustrated in terms of theories and systems, China’s unique ideas on politics and governance have more frequently attracted international discussion.

No ruling party can afford to turn a blind eye to self-governance, especially as the international political situation is undergoing profound changes. In the Western world, the U.K. voted to leave the European Union, the European continent has seen a sharp right-wing rise, and an anti-establishment candidate won the U.S. election as a longshot underdog. A series of events has shown that an accumulation of problems in those countries is exerting a heavy influence on their politics. Many countries are experiencing political transitions, which makes self-governance of a ruling party even more important. Plentiful empirical research has shown that corruption is almost always the root of social problems including the gap between the rich and the poor. Corruption makes the cost of economic development skyrocket. According to statistics from the World Bank, corruption causes annual losses of 20 to 40 billion U.S. dollars in developing countries. American scholar Samuel P. Huntington wrote in Political Order in Changing Societies that corruption peaks in the fiercest phase of modernization, regardless of culture. Most developing nations are in the process of modernization, during which better self-governance of the ruling party is necessary for more comprehensive development.

The success of the CPC’s efforts to strengthen Party discipline is even more encouraging internationally considering how desperately high-quality governance is needed around the globe. The political wisdom and power manifested in the campaign is not only the key to the survival of the CPC and prosperity of China, but also to healthy development in a new world.  

The author is an editor at the International Department of People’s Daily.