Communique of the Second Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

(Adopted at the Second Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on February 28, 2023)

The second plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) was held in Beijing from February 26 to 28, 2023.

The session was attended by 203 members and 170 alternate members of the 20th CPC Central Committee. Deputy secretaries of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and leading officials of related departments attended as non-voting participants.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, delivered an important speech at the session which was presided over by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

At the session, the Central Committee heard and discussed the report on the work of the Political Bureau, presented by Xi Jinping on behalf of the Political Bureau. The session reviewed and adopted a list of proposed candidates for the leading positions of state institutions to be recommended to the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC), and a list of proposed candidates for the leadership of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee to be recommended to the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee. The Political Bureau has extensively solicited opinions within and outside the Party for putting forward the lists, which have also been discussed time again. The plenary session decided to recommend the two lists respectively to the presidium of the first session of the 14th NPC and the presidium of the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee.

The session deliberated and adopted a plan on reform of Party and state institutions. The plan was put forward on the basis of extensively soliciting opinions. Xi Jinping delivered explanatory remarks on the draft plan on reform of Party and state institutions. It was agreed at the session that part of the reform plan will be submitted to the first session of the 14th NPC for deliberation in accordance with due legal procedures.

The plenary session fully affirmed the work of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee since the first plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. It was unanimously agreed at the session that, in the face of a complex and severe international environment and the arduous task of carrying out domestic reform and securing development and stability, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee has comprehensively implemented the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress and the first plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. It has held high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, fully implemented Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and adhered to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability. By doing so, it has better coordinated the domestic and international imperatives, the COVID-19 response and socioeconomic development, and the development and security priorities. With its leadership, a wave of enthusiasm for studying, publicizing and implementing the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress has swept across the country. It held a memorial meeting to mourn the passing of Comrade Jiang Zemin, and made preparatory work for the new term of the NPC and the National Committee of the CPPCC. It has dynamically optimized and adjusted the measures for COVID-19 prevention and control, vigorously pushed forward the steady economic recovery to promote high-quality development, and strengthened with solid efforts the building of socialist democracy and the rule of law as well as publicity, ideological and cultural work. It has solidly secured and improved people’s well-being and resolutely safeguarded national security and social stability, launched the new journey for major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, strengthened full and strict governance of the Party, making new strides in all aspects.

It was emphasized at the session that making the first sessions of the 14th NPC and the 14th CPPCC National Committee a success is of great significance to further mobilizing the entire Party and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to be united and strive for building a modern socialist country in all respects and realizing the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation on all fronts.

It was noted at the session that, since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has made deepening the reform of Party and state institutions an important task in modernizing China's system and capacity for governance. It has deepened the reform of Party and state institutions in accordance with the principles of upholding the Party's overall leadership, maintaining a people-centered philosophy, stressing optimization, coordination and high efficiency, and exercising law-based governance on all fronts. As a result, the functions of Party and state institutions have been transformed in a systematic and holistic manner, which has provided a strong guarantee for the Party and the country to make historic achievements and see historic changes in the pursuit of the cause of the Party and the country. Valuable experience has also been accumulated in this process for further deepening the reform of Party and state institutions.

It was pointed out at the session that important arrangements were made at the 20th CPC National Congress for deepening the reform of Party and state institutions, which is of great and far-reaching significance to building a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts. We must uphold Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the overarching guide, consider strengthening the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee as the pivot, and regard promoting the modernization of the national system and capacity for governance as the orientation. We must adhere to the general principle of pursuing progress while maintaining stability, adapt to the requirements for the coordinated implementation of the five-sphere integrated plan and the four-pronged comprehensive strategy, and adapt to the needs for building a new development pattern and promoting high-quality development. We must adopt a problem-oriented approach, coordinate the institutions of the CPC Central Committee, the NPC, the State Council, and the National Committee of the CPPCC, and coordinate the central and local authorities. We must deepen institutional reform in key areas to make the Party's leadership over socialist modernization more sound in institutional setup, more optimized in functional allocation, more refined in institutional mechanisms, and more efficient in operational management.

It was stressed at the session that all provincial authorities and central departments, bearing in mind the overall advancement of the cause of the Party and the country, must fully recognize the importance and urgency of the reform of Party and state institutions. They must deeply understand the decisive significance of establishing Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and establishing the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, strengthen consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership; stay confident in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, uphold Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee’s authority and its centralized, unified leadership, and consciously align their thoughts and actions with the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee. They must resolutely uphold the authority and seriousness of the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee, strengthen their confidence and resolve for reform, enhance organizational leadership, and faithfully implement the tasks of the reform of Party and state institutions.

It was pointed out at the session that thorough study, publicity and implementation of the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress is a top political task for the entire Party at present and for some time to come, and efforts should be made to further promote this task and see concrete results. They need to diversify and innovate the channels and approaches, and disseminate the guiding principles in such a way that they can be made popular with the people in Party and government departments, enterprises, public institutions, communities in urban and rural areas, schools, military units, various new types of economic and social organizations as well as online platforms, so that the guiding principles can truly win the hearts of the people. Officials should set a good example in fully studying, comprehending and implementing the guiding principles, thoroughly understand the significance of the great transformation over the past 10 years of the new era, gain a comprehensive command of the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as well as its stances, viewpoints and methods, and fully grasp the goals, tasks, strategic plans, and major measures for advancing the cause of the Party and the country on the new journey of the new era. They should formulate and implement specific plans and measures in light of the actual conditions of their regions and departments, and implement to the letter the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress.

It was emphasized at the session that at present, changes of a magnitude not seen in a century are accelerating across the world, which has entered a new period of turbulence and change. Our country has entered a period of development in which strategic opportunities, risks, and challenges are concurrent and uncertainties and unforeseen factors are rising, and we have to be ready to withstand high winds, choppy waters, and even dangerous storms. China's reform, development and stability still face many deep-seated problems, the triple pressures of shrinking demand, disrupted supply and weakening expectations are still relatively heavy, the foundation of economic recovery is still not solid, and various unexpected factors may occur at any time. All Party members must have firm confidence, maintain strategically sober-minded, meet challenges head on, and better coordinate domestic priorities with international priorities, COVID-19 response with social and economic development, and development and security imperatives to strive to achieve all the goals and tasks for this year. We should apply the new development philosophy in a comprehensive and accurate manner, accelerate efforts to create a new development pattern, and promote high-quality development. We should faithfully implement the CPC Central Committee's decisions and deployments on the COVID-19 prevention and control in the new phase, which has been downgraded under the management of Class B infectious diseases. We should make efforts to expand domestic demand, effectively improve the resilience and security level of the industrial and supply chains, continue to develop a more market-oriented, law-based, and international business environment, effectively forestall and defuse major economic and financial risks, and maintain a vigilant guard against systemic risks.

We must strive to guarantee and improve living standards, implement in detail the employment-first policy, ensure the basic livelihood of people in difficulty, strengthen the network of social security, address shortcomings in health and medical services, especially public services at the grassroots level in urban and rural areas, and improve the policy system for boosting birth rates. We must push forward all-round rural revitalization, consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation, and prevent large-scale poverty from recurring.

It was pointed out at the plenary session that it is necessary to unswervingly deepen reform and opening up, focus closely on the goal of building a modern socialist country in all respects, introduce a series of strategic, creative and pace-setting reform measures, strengthen the synergy in advancing reform to achieve coordination and high efficiency, and make new breakthroughs in key areas. We must uphold and improve the basic socialist economic system, optimize the modern enterprise system with Chinese characteristics, strengthen and improve modern financial regulatory system, promote high-level opening up, and make overall plans for reforms in various fields. We should focus on improving the reform implementation mechanism, ensure that reform measures are implemented and effective, constantly enhance the momentum and vitality of socialist modernization, and better transform our institutional strengths into the outcomes of national governance.

The plenary session emphasized that we must thoroughly implement the strategic arrangements for Party building made at the 20th CPC National Congress, remain sober-minded and firm in addressing the unique difficulties faced by a large political party, improve the system for full and strict governance over the Party, take enhancing the Party's political building as the overarching principle, solidly promote all aspects of Party building, and promote the new great project of Party building in the new era in a thorough manner. The session called for thematic education activities on thoroughly learning and putting into practice Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in the whole Party. Efforts are required to reinforce theoretical study and application with scientific planning and meticulous organization, so as to achieve tangible results. It was agreed that after the change of terms, ideological and political education among leadership needs to be consolidated, democratic centralism should be strictly upheld to create a clean and upright political ecosystem, so that a vibrant environment can be developed, where all officials can unite and cooperate with each other, have a strong sense of responsibility and a good job can be done to achieve what should be achieved. We should rigorously tighten the disciplines and rules, relentlessly combat the Four Malfeasances of pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance, vigorously promote investigation and research, be realistic and pragmatic in doing our work, so as to make tangible achievements that withstand the test of the time and win people’s support. We need to make coordinated efforts to ensure that officials do not dare, are not able, and have no desire to commit corruption, so as to win the tough and protracted battle against corruption.

The session called on the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups to unite more closely around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core. We should hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, carry forward the great founding spirit of the Party, and bear in mind that all of us in the Party must never forget our original aspiration and founding mission, that we must always stay modest, prudent, and hard-working, and that we must have the courage and ability to carry on our fight. We must be self-confident and self-reliant, uphold fundamental principles and break new ground, forge ahead and be resilient. We need to make solid progress in the development of the Chinese modernization and make joint efforts to realize the targets set at the 20th CPC National Congress.