The Constitution of the Communist Party of China

The General Constitution of the Communist Party of China, referred to as the "Party Constitution". The Party Constitution is the fundamental law of the Party, the fundamental law that stipulates the nature, purpose, task, composition, organization and rules of activities of the Party, the general rules that the Party must abide by, and a powerful weapon to strengthen the construction of the Party. Since its founding, the CPC has attached great importance to the formulation and improvement of its own constitution.

The First National Congress of the Communist Party of China formulated the Party's programme, which also contained some articles belonging to the nature of the Party Constitution. The Party Constitution adopted at the Second to Sixth National Congresses of the Party did not include the Party programme. But since the Seventh National Congress of the Party, the Party Constitution has been composed of two parts: general program and articles. The general program of the Party stipulates the nature, tasks and guiding ideology of the Party, while the articles generally stipulate the conditions, duties and rights of Party members, the Party's organizational system, Party organizations at all levels and Party discipline, etc.

The “Constitution of the CPC”, adopted by the Second National Congress of the Party, is the first Party Constitution after its founding. The Third and Fourth National Congress of the Party respectively adopted the first and second amendments. Then the Political Bureau of the Fifth Central Committee National Congress of the Party adopted the third amendment of the Constitution, and the Sixth to the Twelfth National Congresses of the Party respectively adopted the new constitutions. Among them, the Party Constitution of the Sixth National Congress of the Party is the only one formulated abroad. The Party Constitution of the Seventh National Congress of the Party was a new Party Constitution reflecting the experience of the CPC and Mao Zedong's Party-building theory. It was the most complete and mature Party Constitution in the period of democratic revolution. As for the Party Constitution of the Eighth National Congress of the Party, it is the first Party Constitution after the founding of New China and the preliminary result of exploring the construction of a ruling party. The Party Constitution of the Ninth and the Tenth National Congresses had serious “Left” errors. And the Party Constitution of the Eleventh National Congress was a Party Constitution which contained several phenomena of advancing in hesitation. The Party Constitution of the Twelfth National Congress was another milestone after the constitutions of the Seventh and the Eighth National Congresses and a new blueprint for the amendment of the Party Constitution in the new era. According to the development and changes of the situation and tasks, the Thirteenth National Congress of the Party made some amendments to the articles. The Fourteenth National Congress of the Party had partially amended its general program and articles. As for the Fifteenth National Congress of the Party, it made individual amendments to the general program. The Sixteenth National Congress of the Party made some amendments to its general program and articles. The Seventeenth National Congress of the Party also made some amendments to its general program and articles. The Eighteenth National Congress of the Party made some amendments to its general program and articles too. Finally, the Nineteenth National Congress of the Party has made appropriate amendments to the general program and some articles of the Party Constitution.

The revised Party Constitution fully reflects the latest achievements of the Sinicization of Marxism, a series of major strategic ideas put forward by the Party Central Committee since the Eighteenth National Congress, the new experiences of the Party's work and construction, and the new requirements for the Party's work and construction in the new situation and tasks.

The current Party Constitution, namely the Constitution of the Nineteenth National Congress, also consists of two parts, the general program and the articles. The general program of the Party Constitution stipulates the Party's nature, program, guiding ideology, goals, basic line and strategy at the present stage, the principles, content and manner of the Party's leadership, and the general requirements of the Party's construction in the new era and the five basic requirements that must be achieved.

There are 11 chapters and 55 articles in the articles part of the Party Constitution, which stipulates the contents: the Party members, the Party's organizational system, the Party's central organization, the Party's local organizations, the Party's grass-roots organizations, Party cadres, the Party's discipline, the Party's disciplinary inspection organs, Party groups, the relationship between the Party and the Communist Youth League, the Party emblem and the Party flag, so forth.

The CPC Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping as its core, attaches great importance to the role of the Party Constitution in strictly administering the Party in an all-round way. On November 16, 2012, Xi Jinping pointed out during the collective study of the Eighteenth Political Bureau of the Central Committee that "The Party Constitution is the general charter of the Party that fully embodies the nature and purpose of the Party, its theories, line, principles and policies, its important ideas and establishes its major systems and mechanisms and is the fundamental norm of conduct that the Party must abide by jointly. Nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards.

The Party Constitution is the fundamental law of the Party and the general rule that the whole Party must follow. In all activities of Party organizations at all levels, Party members and cadres, especially leading cadres, should be guided to consciously study, abide by, implement and maintain the Party Constitution, consciously strengthen the cultivation of Party spirit, enhance the Party's consciousness, its consciousness of purpose, its consciousness of governance, its consciousness of the overall situation and its consciousness of responsibility, and effectively share the worries of the Party, do their duty for the country and dedicate themselves to the people.” On January 12, 2016, Xi Jinping further pointed out in his important speech at the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eighteenth Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China: "In order to administer the Party in an all-round and strict manner, we must first respect the Party Constitution.

Party committees and commissions of discipline inspection at all levels should first strengthen supervision and inspection of the upholding of the Party Constitution and the implementation of the Party's line, principles, policies and resolutions, ensure the centralization and unity of the Party, and ensure the smooth passage of the Party Central Committee's decrees.”

"Discipline committees at all levels should fully perform the duties entrusted to them by the Party Constitution, take the lead in respecting the Party Constitution, take the maintenance of the Party Constitution and other regulations as the primary task, strengthen supervision and inspection of compliance with the Party Constitution and the implementation of the Party Discipline, seriously investigate and deal with violations of the Party Constitution and the Party’s rules and regulations, resolutely safeguard the authority of the Party Constitution, and be the firm executor and faithful defender of the Party Constitution.”

The Nineteenth National Congress of the Party clearly requires that the Party organizations at all levels and all Party members, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as its core, hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and take Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the important thought of "Three Representatives", the Scientific Outlook on Development and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as its guidance, more consciously study, abide by, implement, uphold, adhere to the Party Constitution and strengthen the overall leadership of the Party, adhere to and strengthen the Party's overall leadership, and continue to struggle to win the completion of a moderately prosperous society, seize the great victory of socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, realize the Chinese dream of great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and realize the people's aspiration for a better life!