Governing Scientifically, Democratically, and in Accordance with the Law

The 15th CPC National Congress emphasized that efforts should be made to solve the two historic tasks of improving the leadership and governance and improving the capability of resisting corruption, guarding against degeneration and warding off risks. In September 2004, Hu Jintao said at the 3rd session of the 4th Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee that there are many questions that need to be summarized, studied and answered to strengthen the construction of the Party's governing theory, including the governing strategy, governing system, governing mode and governing foundation.

The “Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Strengthening the Construction of the Party’s Governance Capability” adopted at the 4th Plenary Session of the 16th CPC Central Committee put forward the strategy of scientific, democratic and law-based governance. In October 2007, the report of the 17th CPC National Congress further pointed out: “We must improve the ideological style of leading bodies, enhance the governing capacity of leading cadres, improve the leadership style and governance style, and improve the leadership system in accordance with the requirements of scientific, democratic and law-based governance.” In November 2012, the 18th CPC National Congress wrote “improving scientific, democratic and law-based governance” into the report.

On February 17, 2014, Xi Jinping delivered an important speech at the opening ceremony of the special seminar on studying and implementing the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee and stressed: we must keep up with the overall progress in the national modernization process, and improve the CPC's capability for scientific, democratic and law-based governance, and enhance the efficiency of government departments. We must improve the general public's ability to manage state, social, economic and cultural affairs in accordance with the law. In this way, the Party, state and social affairs will be administered in accordance with rules, standards and procedures, and we will become better able to govern the country through the socialist system with Chinese characteristics.

Scientific governance is to constantly explore and follow the governing laws of the Party, the laws of socialist construction and the laws of human social development in light of China's reality, and to lead the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics with scientific thoughts, systems and methods.

Democratic governance is to carry out the purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, persist in governing for and by the people, support the people and ensure that the people are the masters of the country, uphold and improve democratic centralism, promote people's democracy by developing intra-Party democracy, expand the broadest patriotic united front, fully mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of the people, and constantly transform the wisdom and strength of the people into a powerful force to promote the development of the cause. Law-based governance means to adhere to the basic strategy and mode of governing the country according to law, improve the socialist legal system, build a socialist country ruled by law, lead legislation, take the lead in abiding by the law, ensure law enforcement, and constantly promote the legalization and standardization of national economic, political, cultural and social life.

Scientific governance, democratic governance and law-based governance are unified and complement each other. On the one hand, scientific governance and democratic governance are conditions and prerequisites for each other. To make scientific decision, we must fully carry forward democracy, listen to opinions widely, and conduct democratic consultation and discussion; to realize democratic governance, we must take scientific ideas, methods and systems as the premise. On the other hand, scientific governance and democratic governance should be embodied by law-based governance, and the institutionalization and standardization of scientific governance and democratic governance should be guaranteed by law-based governance. The Party’s ideas should be raised to the will of the state through legal procedures, and the implementation of the Party’s line, principles and policies should be guaranteed institutionally and legally. We must make coordinated efforts to promote law-based governance of country, law-based exercise of state power, and law-based administration of government together, adopt a holistic approach to building a country, a government and a society where the rule of law applies, ensure that a well-conceived approach is taken for legislation, that the law is enforced strictly, that justice is administered impartially, and that the law is observed by everyone, and modernize the national governance system and capacity for governance. Scientific, democratic and law-based governance is the inevitable summarization of the Party’s successful experience in governance and the inevitable requirement for realizing a modern governance system in respect to country and government and enhancing governing capacity.