CPC urges continued discipline after education campaign

The Communist Party of China (CPC) on Tuesday urged its 86 million members to continue to foster good work styles after a 15-month campaign aimed at tightening Party discipline.

In a circulation published by the leading group which oversaw the CPC's "mass line" education campaign, it urged all Party members to echo calls by Chinese President Xi Jinping to brace for a long-term initiative to clean up poor work conduct and to "run the Party strictly."

The document came days after the CPC marked the end of the mass line campaign last week at a nationwide teleconference presided over by Xi, also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

"The close of the campaign is not the end of the drive to foster good work styles," said Xi at the meeting, adding that the campaign had also shown that the Party must be run strictly, in a concrete and serious way, not abstractly and perfunctorily.

"Mass line" refers to a guideline under which CPC officials and members are required to prioritize the interests of the people and exercise power on their behalf.

Based on arrangements made at the 18th National Congress of the CPC in November 2012, the campaign began in June 2013 with the aim of cultivating closer ties with the people.

Earlier reports said the campaign had led to a 25-percent reduction in official meetings, the retrieval of more than 100,000 excessive government vehicles and a 1.9-million decrease in the number of official documents circulated.

The circulation said Party members should solidify and expand on the results of the campaign, by sticking to "fine traditions" of the Party -- such as practicing criticism and self-criticism and staying close to the masses -- and by "constraining officials with strict rules and discipline."

It said the Party should be open to public supervision, and that the "cage of regulations" should be built to limit abuses of power. Accountability systems for Party-building should be well implemented, it said, adding that inspections and supervision should also be strengthened to ensure strict management of the Party.