Be Prepared for Adversities in Times of Peace , and Adhere to Reform and Innovation

At the new stage of the new century, the key for the Communist Party of China leading the people to win the victory of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, creating new situations for the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and writing a new chapter of happy life for the people is to strengthen the Party building further. In this paper, a logical starting point is a history lesson, in which some ruling parities have declined or quit as out-parties. Then, considering the profound changes in the global, national and intra-Party conditions, the author tries to review the issue of Party building, illustrating the importance and urgency of strengthening and improving the building of Party in the spirit of reform and innovation. Furthermore, the author analyzes the general requirements for strengthening and improving the Party building, clarifying the current and future main tasks for Party building.

1. "Be prepared for adversities in times of peace" is a historical warning for us since some world famous parties have lost their regime.As early as 1945, Yanpei Huang, a famous Chinese patriot, mentioned the "Law of History Period" as he had a "Cave Talk" with Zedong Mao in Yan'an.He said: "In my more than sixty years life, not to mention what I have heard, for all what I have seen, the fact is that 'The prosperity is fast, so does the decline'.An individual, a family, a party, a region, or even a country, few are capable of breaking the governance of the period law …… In history, lazy emperor resulted in server dominance.Unfair treatments to the people caused the doom of regime.To pursue for glory unreasonably produced insulation."(Yiwei Wang, 2009) From a side aspect, Yanpei Huang's words reflect a party's possible changes before and after the regime.
Reviewing the changes of parties in various counties of the world, some parties did not escape from the governance of "Law of History Period" indeed.The lesson of the Communist Party of Soviet Union is painful.Why does a big party, created by Lenin, with a glorious history of more than ninety years and more than 15 million members, collapse overnight?Rome is not built in a day.Because of the long-term governance, a highly centralized organizational structure and leadership system came into being.The Communist Party of Soviet Union abused the executive orders or even performed repression.Under this highly centralized party structure, the absence of effective supervision resulted in the serious corrosion of the party, which weakened the political relations between the party and the people.Besides, due to the rigidity of system, the Communist Party of Soviet Union could not deal with the sharp changes happened in politics, which directly resulted in the fast collapse of the party.The lesson of the Institutional Revolutionary Party of Mexico is also profound.One of important reasons for the loss of regime is that the party did not adjust the policies, which caused a series of economic and social crises, which weakening the social foundation of the party and making the party lose the support from the people.The India's Congress Party, Japanese Liberal Democratic Party, Italy-day Democratic Party, and Kuomintang of South Africa become the opposition because of accumulated degradation and weakening organization system that heavily destroyed the power of parties.
These world famous parties fell into the opposition one after another, and the lesson is painful.For the Communist Party of China, who has already taken the governance for sixty years, undoubtedly that is a warning.It tells us: "The Party's vanguard nature and governance is not permanent and unchanging.A possession of vanguard nature in the past does not mean the same possession at present.And a present possession of vanguard nature does not mean a possession forever."(Hua Qin, 2009) Therefore, the Party must be prepared for adversities in times of peace, enhance the awareness of unexpected threats, adhere to examine and require ourselves in a view of development, strengthen and improve ourselves in the spirit of reform and innovation, never being satisfied or giving up, and drive the process of adapting Marxism to Chinese conditions and the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics forward.

Reform and innovation is a necessary requirement for the Party building in dealing with the fundamental changes of global, national, and intra-Party.
In the Seventeenth National Congress of the Communist Party of China, we learnt lessons from the success and failure of world famous parties and review the Party building issue under the background of significant changes of global, national, and intra-Party conditions.And we drew a scientific conclusion that the Party building is both significant and very pressing in the spirit of reform and innovation due to the changes of global, national, and intra-Party conditions (Jing Zhao, 2007).
First of all, the world today is undergoing extensive and profound changes, strengthening the Party building in the spirit of reform and innovation is an inevitable requirement for world development today.World today is undergoing major development, major changes and major adjustments.World multi-polarization and economic globalization are deepening.Scientific and technological progresses are very fast day by day.World financial crisis exerts far-reaching effects.World economic pattern comes cross new changes.A new trend appears in the balance of world powers.Global cultural communication and amalgamation shows new characteristics.The competition over comprehensive national strength and kinds of powers tends to be fiercer.All these facts bring about new chances as well as challenges for China.In such an era, any party who sticks to old codes and ignores the changes of tides and conditions would fall behind or even be dumped by the times at last.The Report of the 17th National Congress of the CPC stressed on the Party building in the spirit of reform and innovation, which exactly illustrates a point that the Communist Party of China can grasp current requirements and global trends, and response to the trend of the times and the world, and has the foresight and sagacity.
Secondly, contemporary China is going through a wide-ranging and deep-going transformation.Strengthening the Party building in the spirit of reform and innovation is the practical needs of CPC to fulfill the mission of governance.China has already successfully achieved the first two goals of the three-step strategy for modernization, and come to the new development stage of building a well-off society in all respects and accelerating the socialist modernization.China's productivity level has jumped substantially, the comprehensive national strength has been strengthened greatly.And the world status has been enhanced significantly, socialist market economy system has been established initially.Political stability, national unity, social progress, and the people have a well-off living generally.Socialist China is full of vitality.Meanwhile, we should remember the "two unchanged" facts: no matter what China is still at the initial stage of socialism, or main social contradiction does not change, it displays the backwardness of a developing country.Particularly, along with the in-depth development of industrialization, information technology, marketization, and internationalization, social structure in profound changes, interest pattern in complete adjustment, thoughts and ideas in great diversities, China is undergoing wide-ranging and deep-going reform.Various conflicts come out, forming a complicated condition, in which old and new conflicts are intertwined, and so do long-term conflicts and periodical conflicts, predictable conflicts and unpredictable conflicts.Advancing the modernization drive, achieving national reunification, and safeguarding world peace and promoting common development are still the Party's three grand and tough historical tasks in 21 st century.Considering the real conditions, the Communist Party of China, as the core of leadership for the great reform and opening up and modernization, can perform the scientific, democratic, and law-based governance, and shoulder the historical mission of exercising the governance for the prosperity of China and the happiness of the people, only by strengthening the Party building in a spirit of reform and innovation.
Last, the Party itself is undergoing some significant changes.Strengthening the Party building in a spirit of reform and innovation is an inevitable requirement for solving new conflicts and problems in Party building.Considering the experiences during the revolution, construction and reform, the Party led people to strive for the possession of state power yesterday, but today the Party leads the people to hold the state power and achieves the long-term governance.Yesterday the Party suffered from external blockade and a planned economy in national construction, but today the Party adheres to opening up and socialist market economy in national construction.Changes of status and environment not only make the Party face with new challenges from governance, reform and opening up, market economy, and external environment, but also advance new tasks and requirements for maintaining the nature and the purpose of the Party, and sticking to the vanguard nature of the Party.Meanwhile, the Party has governed the country for sixty years.On one hand, it helps to accumulate priceless experiences in governance and self building.On the other hand, it is prone to an institutional and functional rigidity, leading to a tendency of some members or cadres' idleness and straying away from the people.Besides, the Party has more than 75 million members now.The sharp growth of new members causes profound changes of member structure, as well as the process of fast industrialization and urbanization causes large-scale social movements, and the update of members in general.As a result, lots of young cadres take the leadership.It gives new blood to the Party and makes the education and management of the party tougher than ever.Therefore, in order to adapt to new changes, pass new tests, and solve new problems, we must advocate the spirit of reform and innovation, seeking new measures for solving problems with reform thoughts, and perfecting all institutions and methods with innovative spirit.
In a word, the profound changes of global, national, and intra-Party conditions present new requirements for the Party building.The Party must be prepared for adversities in times of peace, sharpening the consciousness of troubles, caring for the Party, and fulfilling the obligation of developing the Party.Continue to drive the new grand project of Party building and ensure that the Party is always ahead of times, as the backbone of the people and the strong leadership core (Yejun Chun, 2009).

The general requirements for strengthening and improving the Party building under new situations
The Decision of the Fourth Session of the Seventeen National Congress (the Decision) points out: Strengthening and improving the Party building under new situations, we must fully implement the Party's general plan for the Party building discussed in the Seventeen National Congress.Following the Party Constitution, we should focus on emancipating the mind, sticking to reform and opening up, promoting scientific development, and driving social harmony, focus on improving the Party's governance capability, maintaining and developing the Party's vanguard nature, focus on enhancing the Party's senses of mission and responsibility for struggling for the cause of the Party and people, and focus on sustaining the blood-and-flesh relation between the Party and the people.Emphasizing on points and breaking down difficulties, we must comprehensively promote the ideology building, organization building, work style building, institution building, and anti-corruption building.Improve the scientific building of Party, and further build the Party into the one that is realistic, pragmatic and committed to reform and innovation; a party that is hardworking and clean; and a party that is full of vigor and enjoys solidarity and harmony, ensuring that the Party is always the vanguard of working class, and also the vanguard of Chinese people (Jinping Xi, 2009).The general requirements serve as the direction for strengthening the improving the Party building under new situations.
Firstly, grasp the general goal of strengthening and improving the Party building.Both the Seventeenth National Congress and the Fourth Session of the Seventeen National Congress make it clear that the general goal of comprehensively promoting the new grand project of Party building is to "further build the Party into the one that is realistic, pragmatic and committed to reform and innovation; a party that is hardworking and clean; and a party that is full of vigor and enjoys solidarity and harmony, ensuring that the Party is always the vanguard of working class, and also the vanguard of Chinese people.(Jintao Hu, 2007)" The general goal clearly and intensively embodies the Party's fundamental purpose, the ideological lines, the work style, and the spirits, in line with the Party's conditions, with distinct characteristics of the times.Under new conditions, we must strengthen and improve the Party building around the general goal in all respects, making the whole Party strive for the actualization of the general goal.
Secondly, grasp the "four focuses" in the Party building.The "four focuses" advanced in the Decision point out the stresses of Party building under new situations, scientifically reflecting the dialectical relation between the grand Party building and the great cause of the Party.The first focus is "emancipating the mind, sticking to reform and opening up, promoting scientific development, and driving social harmony".Taking it as the primary focus is to ask the Party to build itself closely around the theme of Seventeenth National Congress, providing a strong guaranty for actualizing the objectives established in the Seventeenth National Congress.The second focus is "improving the Party's governance capability, maintaining and developing the Party's vanguard nature".It asks the Party building to adhere to the building of governance capability and the building of vanguard nature, strengthening the Party building in a spirit of reform and innovation, and ensuring that the Party is always ahead of times, as the backbone of the people and the strong leadership core.The third focus is "enhancing the Party's senses of mission and responsibility for struggling for the cause of Party and people".It asks the Party building to stimulate the Party's political enthusiasm for struggling for the actualization of historical mission, constantly enhancing the internal drives for unifying and leading the people to move forward.The fourth focus is "sustaining the blood-and-flesh relation between the Party and the people".It asks the Party building to stick to the nature and the purpose of the Party all the time, constantly consolidating the class foundation and expanding the mass base.
Thirdly, grasp the mainline, namely the building of governance capability and the building of vanguard nature.The governance capability means the Party's competencies, including: put forward and apply right theories, paths, guidelines, policies, and statics; lead to make up and execute the Constitutions and laws; adopt scientific leadership system and style; motivate and organize people to manage national and social affairs, economic and cultural causes legally; govern the Party, the country and the army effectively; build a modern socialist country.At the new stage of the new century, the Party's governance capabilities include: the capability of controlling socialist market economy, the capability of developing socialist democratic politics, the capability of building socialist advanced culture, the capability of constituting a socialist harmonious society, and the capability of handle international affaires.The vanguard nature means the qualities, by which the Party is always ahead of the times, always represents the development requirement of China's advance productivity, always represents the direction of China's advanced culture, and always represents the fundamental interests of Chinese people (Xiru Li, 2006, 51-52).The building of governance capability is essential.It is a major project faced by the Party in governance and it demands constant exploration.Under new conditions, the building of governance capability associates with the Party building and the socialist cause with Chinese characteristics.The vanguard nature is the life and the power of Marxism parties.Grasping the building of vanguard nature is equal to grasping the essence of Party building, as well as the key for strengthening the building of governance capability and consolidating the governance.At present, the level of Party's leadership and governance, the conditions of Party building, and the quality of Party members are compatible with the historical mission of the Party.However, the Party still faces with some problems that are incompatible with requirements of new situations and new tasks, or the nature and purpose of the Party.Besides, under new historical conditions, the Party faces with many new challenges.To withstand these tests and shoulder the great mission entrusted by history and people, we must strengthen the building of governance capability and the building of vanguard nature, constantly improving the Party's governance capability and the capability of resisting corruption.
Fourthly, grasp the general deployment of "five building": ideology, organization, work-style, institution, combating corruption and upholding integrity.
The Seventeenth National Congress confirms the "five-in-one" general deployment for the Party building, namely ideology, organization, work style, institution, combating corruption and upholding integrity.The Decision re-confirms this general deployment.In this general deployment, the building of ideology is essential, offering ideological bases for the building of organization, work-style, institution, and combating corruption and upholding integrity.The building of organization provides an organizational guaranty for the building of ideology, work style, institution, and combating corruption and upholding integrity.The building of work style and combating corruption and upholding integrity associates closely with the Party's image and health, providing the discipline and work-style guaranty for the Party building and also reflecting the effectiveness of the building of ideology, organization, and institution.The building of institution offers an operational mechanism for the intra-Party life, providing an institutional guaranty for the building of ideology, organization, work style, and combating corruption and upholding integrity.To implement the general deployment, we must take all respects into consideration as we arrange the work of the Party building, ensuring that all respects cooperate with each other, promoting the work of the Party building in general.Specifically, the first is to strengthen the ideological building by focusing on fortifying the convictions of the Party members.The second is to strengthen the organizational building by emphasizing on bringing up the qualities of the Party members and cadres.The third is to strengthen the work-style building by maintaining its close tie with the people.The fourth is to strengthen the system construction by focusing on improving democratic centralism.The fifth is to strengthen the building of combating corruption and upholding integrity by focusing on improving the institutions for punishing and preventing corruption.
Fifthly, grasp the new requirement for improving the scientific level of the Party building.The Decision advances the important theme and task: improving the scientific level of the Party building.It is a new and higher requirement for the Party building due to the profound changes of global, national, and intra-Party conditions.To improve the scientific level of the Party building, the most fundamental is, based on the profound changes of Party's historical position, to follow the law of Marxist ruling party building consciously, summarize the experiences of the Party building since the initial governance, directing the Party building with scientific theories, guaranteeing the Party building with scientific system, and driving the Party building with scientific methods.To direct the Party building with scientific theories is to consistently adhere to the ideological line of the Party, to constantly drive the localization and popularization of Marxism and adjust it to the times, to take Deng Xiaoping Theory and "Three Represents" as the guideline, to completely carry out the scientific development concept, to improve the capability of changing subjective and objective world with scientific theories, and to ensure that the theories and works of the Party are always reflecting the times, following the laws, and being full of creativity.To guarantee the Party building with scientific system is to build and perfect an institutional system that takes the Party constitutions as the root and the democratic centralism as the core, to constantly improve the preciseness and scientific level of institutions, and to promote the scientific, institutional and standard Party building.To drive the Party building with scientific method is to firmly establish the dialectical and historical materialism world outlook and methodology, not only inheriting and developing the Party's accumulated successful methods in long-term practices, but also actively exploring and using modern scientific methods to take references from foreign ruling parties' beneficial methods, to improve and perfect itself in a spirit of reform and innovation, and to consistently drive practical innovation of the Party building, theoretical innovation, and institutional innovation.

The main tasks for strengthening and improving the Party building under new conditions
The Decision, based on grasping the general deployment of the Party building established in the Seventeenth National Congress, presents six tasks for strengthening and improving the Party building now and later, by focusing on several points instead of all respects.
Firstly, build a Marxism learning Party and improve the ideological and political level of Party members.A party that emphasizes on learning is full of hopes and vitalities.A party that is good at leaning can catch up with the times and make exploration and innovation.By following the requirements for qualified Party members, being equipped with scientific theories, world insights and innovative spirit, and good at grasping laws, take the building of a learning Party as a vital and urgent strategic task and make sure it will be carried out properly.The first is to promote the localization and popularization of Marxism, and make it catch up with the times, using the developing Marxism to guide new practices.The second is to equip the whole Party with the socialist theories with Chinese characteristics, improving Party members' capability of analyzing and solving practical problems with scientific theories.The third is to conduct the study of socialist core value system, forming a progressive spiritual power and strengthening the ideological foundation for Party unity.The fourth is to build a learning Party organization, creating a strong learning-oriented atmosphere.
Secondly, adhere to and perfect the democratic centralism system and develop intra-Party democracy actively.Intra-Party democracy is the life of the Party, and centralism and unity are the guaranty for Party's power.We must adhere to the combination of the democracy-based centralism and the centralism-guided democracy, focusing on guaranteeing the Party members' democratic rights.Based on strengthening intra-Party democratic building at the primary level, we can promote intra-Party democracy practically, and widely collect the whole Party's wills and arguments, making best use of the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of Party's organizations and members at all levels, and firmly upholding the centralized unified leadership of the Party.The first is to adhere to and perfect the Party's leadership system, and improve the Party's leadership and governance.The second is to guarantee the Party members' principal positions and democratic rights, and ensure that Party members can participate into intra-Party political life equally.The third is to improve the system of the Party congresses and the intra-Party electoral system, and increase the proportion of representatives from the primary level, and gradually extend direct election of leading members in primary Party organizations to more places.The fourth is to perfect the intra-Party democratic decision system and improve the level of scientific, democratic, and legal decision.The fifth is to uphold the centralized and unified leadership of the Party, and adhere to the principle that Party members submit to Party organization, the minority to the majority, the lower levels to the higher levels, and the Party to the Central Committee.
Thirdly, deepen the reform of the cadre and personnel system and train high-caliber cadres who are skilled in driving scientific development and promoting social harmony.To train high-caliber cadres, the key is to adhere to democracy, openness, competition, and merit, increase public trust in cadre selection and appointment, form a flexible mechanism, and making excellent talents more obvious.Adhere to the principle that the Party is in charge of cadre management, we should comprehensively carry out the guideline for cadres' revolutionary, young, intellectual, and specialized characteristics.Expand the vision for cadre selection and enlarge ways for cadre training.Protect cadres with passion and manage cadres with principles.To organize all excellent talents together for the cause of the Party and country is the fundamental guaranty for adhering to and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics.The first is to adhere to both political integrity and professional competence, especially the political integrity, in cadre selection and appointment, ensuring that the cadres satisfy both the organization and the people, and not to hurt the kind or benefit the bad.The second is to improve the system of cadre selection and appointment, and create a positive atmosphere for cadre selection and appointment, and strictly punish illegal activities, such as asking for, trading for, and bribing for official positions.The third is to improve cadres' capability of driving development and promoting social harmony.The fourth is to give special attention to cadres who have long been working diligently in places fraught with hardships and difficulties.The fifth is to perfect the cadre management system, and enhance the macro management of cadres, and focus on solving some serious problems in cadre management.
Fourthly, do a good job in primary Party organizations and consolidate the organizational base for the Party's governance.Primary Party organizations, as the base for the Party's work and fighting capacity, shoulder an important responsibility of connecting with the people, disseminating in the people, organizing the people, and unifying the people, and carrying out the guidelines and politics thoroughly.To focus on primary Party organizations and build the base for the Party, we must work around the core, service the overall condition, enlarge the fields, and enhance the functions, further consolidate and strengthen the primary Party organizations, expand the influencing areas, promote the vitality, and ensure that the primary Party organizations fulfill the functions of driving the development, serving the people, collecting the minds, and promoting the harmony.The first is to expand the influencing areas of primary Party organizations, and make the whole society under the influence of Party organizations and works.The second is to promote the work innovation of primary Party organizations, and improve the creativity, cohesion, and fighting capacity.The third is to build and improve the long-term mechanism for Party members' education, management, and services, and enhance the vitality of Party members.The fourth is to follow the requirements, committing to faith, focusing on dedication, possessing skills, and cherishing morals, and cultivate the high-qualified leaders.The fifth is to strengthen the integration of urban and rural resources concerning the Party building, and constitute a new pattern for Party building at primary levels.
Fifthly, promote the Party's fine style of work and keep the close tie with the people.The ruling Party's style of work has an overall influence on the Party's image and the success of the cause of the Party and the people.From practical experiences, we know that promoting the Party's fine style of work demands more approaches at the same time.Starting from ideological education, improvement of the system, centralized rectification, and strict discipline, we need tremendous effects to handle problems in style of work, such as problems of formalism, bureaucracy, and hedonism.Only by this way, can it show the effects.The first is to improve the system of connecting the people, and make innovation in the way of connecting with the people, and create an atmosphere of connecting with the people.The second is to establish and improve the work-responsibility system, create a positive atmosphere in a realistic and pragmatic way.The third is to share everything with the people forever, both the happiness and the sadness, and adhere to economical life, create a hardworking and clean atmosphere.The fourth is to emphasize on the principles and effectiveness of intra-Party life, resolutely oppose a vulgar life, and create an atmosphere of criticism and self-criticism.The fifth is to take the fine style of cultivation as the base for the formation of nice style of work, and guarantee the building of work-style with a strong spirit of the Party.
Sixth, accelerate the building of a system for punishing and preventing corruption, and develop an in-depth struggle against corruption.Firmly combating the corruption is an important political task for the Party.We must put the building of combating corruption and upholding integrity in the most prominent position, adhere to the guidelines of handling with problems at all respects, carrying out an integrated governance, stressing on both punishment and prevention, and focusing on prevention.Build and improve the system for combating and preventing.Strictly implement the responsibility system for the building of Party's style of work.Punish corruption firmly, as well as lay more stresses on innovation of education, supervision, reform, and institution, and prevent corruption more effectively, and constantly make progresses in combating corruption.The first is to develop an in-depth education of the Party's nature, style of work, and disciplines, list the education of integrity into the plan for cadres' education and training, and purposely develop demonstration education, warning education, and position integrity education.The second is to pay more attentions to the investigation of discipline violations and illegal activities, maintain strong emphasis on fighting corruption, and never let the one that runs into corruption escape from legal punishment.The third is to improve the mechanism for constraining and monitoring the powers operation of cadres, especially that of main cadres, and ensure that powers operate in sunshine.The fourth is to promote the institutional innovation of combating corruption and upholding integrity, and adhere to manage rights, affairs, and people by institutions, and improve the institutional and legal level of combating corruption and upholding integrity.