What do China’s new ‘correct view’ rules for local Communist Party officials mean?

Delegates applaud as Chinese President Xi Jinping and other members of the Politburo arrive for a meeting of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 9.

Photo: Reuters China’s leadership has passed new rules on the work carried out by local committees of the ruling Communist Party and called for upholding a “correct view” of political performance.

The party’s 24-member Politburo met in Beijing on Friday to review the latest regulations for local party committees, part of its push to align regional governance with the central leadership’s strategic priorities.

Chaired by President Xi Jinping, the meeting laid bare a dual mandate for local officials: absolute loyalty to the party’s central authority and the cultivation of a “correct view of political performance”, according to state news agency Xinhua.

The revision to the regulations is intended to support China’s latest 15th five-year plan, an economic blueprint endorsed in early March.

According to the Xinhua report, local party leaders were tasked with the “top priority” of implementing the Central Committee’s decisions with unwavering focus.

The leadership also called for “creative” execution that respected local realities, moving away from the “one-size-fits-all” or “simplistic and crude” methods that have drawn criticism in the past.

At the core of the regulatory update is an emphasis on “performance views”. “[Officials] must adopt and practise a correct view of political performance, focus on achievements that truly benefit the people and come from hard, practical work to produce results that can stand the test of time, public scrutiny and historical review,” Xinhua said.

This serves as a warning against the pursuit of “white elephant” projects, deceptive data or short-sighted “vanity projects” driven by personal or small-group interests – failings that Xi previously warned would bring about “hidden dangers” and public dissatisfaction.

The new rules are part of a high-profile campaign on governance and performance appraisals that kicked off in February and will run to July.

Between February and July, officials from the county level up are to rectify any deviations from the “correct” line in their own duties and in assessments of those under their watch.

The campaign also comes ahead of next year’s 21st National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

With local governments from the township to the provincial level preparing for the leadership shu

原文链接: 南华早报