Liu He： Deepening the reform of the party and state institutions is a profound change.
On March 13th, People’s Daily published an article signed by members of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Liu He, director of the Office of the Central Financial and Economic Leading Group, entitled "Deepening the reform of the Party and state institutions is a profound change". The article, with more than 5,000 words, profoundly explains the inevitability, distinctive features and how to effectively promote the reform of the party and state institutions, which is worth studying carefully.
The article points out that "deepening the reform of the party and state institutions is a profound change to promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity". Guided by Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought of the Supreme Leader in the New Era, we should understand the necessity of promoting this profound change from the perspective of overall strategic situation and long-term development, and consciously implement it.
1. To deepen the reform of the party and state institutions, we must fully understand the historical and realistic inevitability of promoting this profound change.
The article points out that in the face of the new requirements put forward by the new era and new tasks, it is historical and realistic necessity to deepen the reform of the party and state institutions in accordance with the strategic deployment of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. The CPC Central Committee has always attached great importance to the construction and reform of the party and state institutions. However, it should be noted that the current institutional setup and functional allocation of the party and the state are not perfect enough, and they cannot adapt well to the strategic layout and target requirements. For example,
It is not fully adapted to the requirements of promoting the overall layout of the "five in one" and coordinating the promotion of the "four comprehensive" strategic layout, and it is not fully adapted to the requirements of modernizing the national governance system and governance capacity;
It does not meet the requirements of achieving the goal of "two hundred years", especially the establishment of grass-roots institutions and the allocation of power need to be improved, and the ability to organize and serve the masses needs to be further improved; The political, advanced and mass nature of group organizations need to be enhanced.
At the same time, the party’s institutional setup and functional allocation need to be improved in some fields, for example,
In some areas, the party’s institutional setup and functional allocation are not sound enough, and the system and mechanism to ensure the party’s overall leadership and promote the comprehensive and strict management of the party need to be improved;
In some fields, the problems of overlapping party and government organs, overlapping responsibilities and disjointed powers and responsibilities are more prominent; Some government institutions are not scientifically set up and their responsibilities are divided, and the problems of lack of responsibilities and low efficiency are prominent, and the transformation of government functions is still not in place; In some areas, the functions of central and local institutions are generally rough, and the division of powers and responsibilities is not reasonable.
To solve these problems, we need to fully realize the historical and realistic inevitability of promoting this profound change and deepen the reform of the party and state institutions.
2. To deepen the reform of the party and state institutions, we must accurately grasp the distinctive features of this profound change.
The article holds that the measures to deepen the reform of the party and state institutions fully reflect the important requirements of the Supreme Leader General Secretary and have five distinctive features, namely:
Strengthening the overall leadership of the party is the core issue;
The comprehensive scope of reform is a prominent feature;
The depth of reform is revolutionary;
The design of reform is scientific;
The results of the reform should be legalized.
To solve the existing problems and deepen the reform of the party and state institutions, we need to accurately grasp the five distinctive features of this profound change.
3. To deepen the reform of the party and state institutions, we must effectively ensure the effective promotion of institutional reforms.
The article points out that deepening the reform of the party and state institutions is a systematic project, with arduous and complicated tasks and great difficulties in organizing and implementing. This requires:
Strengthen the party’s leadership, give full play to the party’s leading core role in the overall situation of reform, development and stability, and lead and promote this major reform with the party’s political advantages;
Implement the reform plan in an orderly manner according to law, and all localities and departments should conscientiously implement the reform plan determined by the central authorities, so as to achieve steady progress;
Give full play to the enthusiasm of the central and local governments. On the one hand, it is necessary to strengthen the centralized and unified leadership of the central government, strengthen the top-level design and overall planning, and make breakthroughs when conditions are ripe. On the other hand, it is also necessary to fully consider the local realities, mobilize and give play to local enthusiasm and creativity, and actively explore according to local conditions;
Do a solid and meticulous implementation work, and some institutional adjustments will be put in place within a few months after the introduction of the plan; Some reforms may take some time, which requires careful work.
The article holds that we must adhere to the general tone of striving for progress while maintaining stability, adhere to the correct direction of reform, unify our thoughts and actions with Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought of the Supreme Leader in the new era, unify our decision-making arrangements of the CPC Central Committee on deepening the reform of the party and state institutions, strengthen the "four consciousnesses", strengthen the "four self-confidences", resolutely safeguard the authority of the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core and centralize and unify leadership, grasp the relationship between reform, development and stability, strengthen our confidence, seize the opportunity, and focus on solving the phased problems.
The full text is as follows:
Deepening the reform of the party and state institutions is a profound change.
General Secretary of the Supreme Leader made important arrangements for deepening institutional reform in the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and the Third Plenary Session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China studied and made a decision on deepening the reform of party and state institutions. The "Decision" clearly pointed out that "deepening the reform of the party and state institutions is a profound change in promoting the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity". Guided by the Supreme Leader’s Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought in the New Era, we should understand the necessity of promoting this profound change from the perspective of overall strategic situation and long-term development, and consciously implement it.
First, fully understand the historical and realistic inevitability of promoting this profound change.
The CPC Central Committee has always attached great importance to the construction and reform of the party and state institutions. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core has adhered to the problem orientation, highlighted key areas, deepened the reform of the party and state institutions, made significant progress in some important areas and key links, and provided a strong guarantee for the historic achievements and changes in the cause of the party and state. Facing the new requirements of the new era and new tasks, it is historical and realistic to deepen the reform of the party and state institutions and continuously promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity in accordance with the strategic deployment of the 19th Party Congress.
(A) deepening the reform of the party and state institutions is an inevitable requirement for upholding and developing Socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. As a superstructure, the functional system of the Party and state institutions is an important part of Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s system, which needs to be constantly improved to adapt to the progress of social productive forces and the change of economic base. After the founding of New China, under the leadership of our Party, China has established the basic socialist system and gradually established the functional system of the Party and state institutions with Chinese characteristics, which has played an important role in promoting socialist construction. Since the reform and opening up, to meet the needs of the development of the socialist market economy, our party has actively promoted the reform of the party and state institutions, and the functions of various institutions have been continuously optimized and gradually standardized, which has effectively promoted the reform and opening up and socialist modernization. As Socialism with Chinese characteristics enters a new era, the functional system of the Party and state institutions must meet the requirements of the development of Socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. However, it should be noted that the current institutional setup and functional allocation of the Party and the state are not fully adapted to the requirements of promoting the overall layout of the "five in one" and the coordinated promotion of the "four comprehensive" strategic layout, and are not fully adapted to the requirements of modernizing the national governance system and governance capacity. We must deepen the reform of the Party and state institutions in accordance with the requirements of upholding and developing Socialism with Chinese characteristics.
(2) Deepening the reform of the party and state institutions is an inevitable requirement for strengthening the party’s long-term ruling ability. The Communist Party of China (CPC)’s leadership is the most essential feature of Socialism with Chinese characteristics. The functional system of the party and state institutions is an important guarantee for our party to govern the country and is an important support to ensure that the party always takes the overall situation and coordinates all parties. If our Party wants to smoothly advance various undertakings in Socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, better lead the people to carry out great struggles, build great projects, advance great undertakings, and realize great dreams, it must give full play to the greatest institutional advantage of the Party’s leadership from the organizational structure, implement the Party’s leadership in all fields and links where the Party and state organs fully and correctly perform their duties, and institutionally ensure the long-term governance of the Party and the long-term stability of the country. At present, the party’s institutional setup and functional allocation in some fields are not sound enough, and the institutional mechanism to ensure the party’s overall leadership and promote the comprehensive and strict management of the party needs to be improved. Strengthening the construction of the Party’s long-term ruling ability and promoting the comprehensive and strict administration of the Party urgently require deepening the reform of the Party and state institutions, perfecting the institutional arrangements to ensure the Party’s overall leadership, improving the Party’s leadership and ruling style, and enhancing the Party’s ability and determination to take the direction, seek the overall situation, formulate policies and promote reform.
(3) Deepening the reform of the party and state institutions is an inevitable requirement for the self-improvement and development of the socialist system. Perfecting and developing Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s system and promoting the modernization of national governance system and governance capacity are the overall goals of comprehensively deepening reform. Deepening institutional reform, as an important part of comprehensively deepening reform, plays an institutional support and guarantee role in various fields of reform. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core, we have resolutely eliminated the shortcomings of various institutional mechanisms, made breakthroughs in reforms in important areas and key links, and improved Socialism with Chinese characteristics’s system. However, it must be noted that in order to fundamentally solve many deep-seated contradictions and problems in development and consolidate and develop the reform achievements, the reform must go deep into the institutional level. At present, the problems of overlapping party and government organs, overlapping responsibilities and separation of powers and responsibilities in some fields in China are more prominent; Some government institutions are not scientifically set up and their responsibilities are divided, and the problems of lack of responsibilities and low efficiency are prominent, and the transformation of government functions is still not in place; In some areas, the functions of central and local institutions are generally rough, and the division of powers and responsibilities is not reasonable. To solve these problems, we must deepen the reform of the party and state institutions and provide institutional support and guarantee for the continuous deepening of reforms in the fields of economy, society, politics, culture and ecological civilization.
(4) Deepening the reform of the party and state institutions is an inevitable requirement for achieving the goal of "two hundred years", building a socialist modern country and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In order to achieve the goal of "two hundred years", the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China made a strategic arrangement for the development of Socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, that is, to build a well-off society in an all-round way by 2020; By 2035, basically realize socialist modernization; By the middle of this century, China will be built into a prosperous, strong, democratic, civilized, harmonious and beautiful socialist modernization power. To achieve the goal of the first century, the functions of the party and state institutions must provide guarantee for solving outstanding contradictions, laying a solid battle to prevent and resolve major risks, accurately get rid of poverty, and prevent and control pollution; At the same time, to achieve the goal of the second century, we must pay attention to solving the long-term institutional and institutional problems. However, it should be noted that at present, China’s institutional setup and functional allocation are not suitable for achieving the goal of "two hundred years", especially the establishment of grass-roots institutions and the allocation of power need to be improved, and the ability to organize and serve the masses needs to be further improved; The political, advanced and mass nature of group organizations need to be enhanced. This urgently requires deepening the reform of the party and state institutions, scientifically allocating institutional functions, and improving institutional mechanisms to provide a strong institutional guarantee for winning the Chinese dream of building a well-off society in an all-round way, starting a new journey of building a socialist modernized country in an all-round way, and realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
Second, accurately grasp the distinctive features of this profound change
In the report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the General Secretary of the Supreme Leader explicitly demanded that all outdated ideas and disadvantages of institutional mechanisms should be resolutely eliminated, the barriers of solidification of interests should be broken through, the beneficial achievements of human civilization should be absorbed, and an institutional system with complete system, scientific norms and effective operation should be built to give full play to the superiority of China’s socialist system. This move to deepen the reform of the party and state institutions fully embodies the important requirements of the Supreme Leader General Secretary and has the following distinctive features.
(1) Strengthening the overall leadership of the Party is the core issue. Party, government, military and civilian studies, east, west, north and south, the party is the leader of everything. The "Decision" clearly stated that strengthening the Party’s leadership over all aspects of work in all fields is the primary task of deepening the reform of the Party and state institutions. In order to improve the system of adhering to the party’s overall leadership, the "Decision" requires: First, establish and improve the party’s leadership system and mechanism for major work. First of all, we must strengthen the party’s centralized and unified leadership over major work involving the overall cause of the party and the state. Optimize the decision-making and deliberation coordination institutions of the CPC Central Committee. Strengthen and optimize the Party’s leadership in deepening reform, governing the country according to law, economy, agriculture and rural areas, discipline inspection and supervision, organization, propaganda of ideology and culture, national security, politics and law, United front, ethnic and religious affairs, education, science and technology, network information, diplomacy and auditing. Other deliberative and coordinating bodies should be linked with the establishment and adjustment of the decision-making deliberative and coordinating bodies of the CPC Central Committee. The second is to strengthen the leading position of the Party’s organizations in organizations at the same level, and give full play to the role of the Party in overall planning and coordinating all parties. The third is to give full play to the role of the party’s functional departments, strengthen the function of centralized coordination, and coordinate the work of this system in this field. Fourth, make overall arrangements for the establishment of party and government organizations. Relevant party organizations can make overall arrangements with other departments with similar functions and close ties, and implement merger or joint office. The fifth is to promote the reform of the party’s discipline inspection system and the state supervision system, and set up national, provincial, municipal and county supervision committees to achieve full coverage of all public officials exercising public power.
(2) The comprehensive scope of reform is a prominent feature. Different from the previous institutional reform, which mainly involved government institutions and administrative systems, this institutional reform is a comprehensive reform, including the party, government, people’s congresses, CPPCC, judiciary, mass organizations, social organizations, institutions, cross-military, central and local institutions. In addition to perfecting the system of adhering to the party’s overall leadership, the first is to optimize the establishment of government institutions and the allocation of functions. It is required to rationally allocate the functions of macro-management departments, further promote decentralization, improve market supervision and law enforcement systems, reform natural resources and ecological environment management systems, improve public service management systems, and strengthen supervision after the event. The second is to coordinate the institutional reform of the party, government and military groups. It is required to improve the layout of party and government institutions, deepen the reform of people’s congresses, CPPCC and judicial institutions, deepen the reform of mass organizations, promote the reform of social organizations, accelerate the reform of public institutions, and deepen the reform across the military. The third is to set up local institutions reasonably. It is required to ensure centralized and unified leadership, give more autonomy to provincial and lower institutions, build a simple and efficient grass-roots management system, and standardize the vertical management system and local hierarchical management system.
(3) The depth of reform is revolutionary. The reason why this reform is revolutionary lies in not avoiding the adjustment of power and interests, but in integrating the existing traditional vested interests and reshaping the new interest pattern. The "Decision" proposes that we should resolutely get rid of the shortcomings of the system and mechanism that restrict the market from playing a decisive role in resource allocation and giving full play to the role of the government, focus on promoting high-quality development, build a modern economic system, strengthen and improve the government’s functions of economic regulation, market supervision, social management, public services and ecological environment protection, and adjust and optimize the functions of government institutions. For example, it is explicitly required to reduce micro-management affairs and specific examination and approval items, minimize the direct allocation of market resources by the government, and minimize the direct intervention of the government in market activities. Relax the restrictions on service industry access and fully implement the negative list system for market access. Establish state-owned natural resource asset management and natural ecological supervision institutions, improve the ecological environment management system, uniformly exercise the duties of the owner of all natural resource assets owned by the whole people, uniformly exercise all the duties of land and space use control and ecological protection and restoration, and uniformly exercise the duties of supervising all kinds of pollution emissions in urban and rural areas and administrative law enforcement. Accelerate the separation of government and society and overcome the tendency of administrative social organizations. Realize the separation of government and business, and no longer set up institutions to undertake administrative functions. Institutions that provide public welfare services to the society will gradually promote the separation of management and operation, strengthen the public welfare attributes, and break the profit-seeking mechanism.
(D) The design of the reform embodies the scientific nature. Scientific nature is the key to the success of the reform, which is related to whether the whole reform plan meets the actual needs and the objective laws. In view of the scientific organization of our country, the restriction of power operation and the imperfect supervision mechanism in some fields, the Decision adheres to the principle of optimizing coordination and efficiency, and emphasizes the need to optimize the establishment and functional allocation of the party and state institutions. First, adhere to the principle that a category of matters should be co-ordinated by one department in principle, and one thing should be handled by one department in principle, and strengthen the cooperation and linkage of relevant institutions to avoid multiple policies, unclear responsibilities and buck passing. Second, it is required to set up government departments at all levels and their internal institutions, scientifically allocate power, reduce the number of institutions, simplify the middle level, implement flat management, and form a top-down efficient organizational system. Third, it is clearly required to correctly understand and implement the division of responsibilities between the party and government, straighten out the relationship between the responsibilities of the party and government agencies, ensure the centralized and unified leadership of the party, and ensure the coordinated and efficient operation of other institutions. It is required to reduce multi-head management and reduce scattered responsibilities. The fourth is to set up a management and guarantee institution for retired military personnel, coordinate all forces, and better serve retired military personnel. Fifth, the functions of institutions at the provincial, city and county levels involving centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee, national legal system, government decrees and markets should basically correspond; Decentralize economic and social management matters that are directly oriented to the grassroots, large in quantity and wide in scope, and more convenient and effective for local implementation to local governments. Allow local authorities to set up institutions and allocate functions according to local conditions, allowing not only "one-to-many",Many-to-one is also allowed.
(5) The results of the reform should be legalized. It is a successful practice to solidify and institutionalize the reform results through legalization in recent years. The "Decision" pointed out that the legalization of institutional establishment is an important guarantee for deepening the reform of the party and state institutions. In view of the problems that the standardization and legalization of institutional establishment in China are relatively lagging behind, and the management methods of institutional establishment need to be improved, the "Decision" clearly requires promoting the legalization of institutional establishment. It is necessary to manage all kinds of organizations according to law and accelerate the legalization of institutions, functions, authorities, procedures and responsibilities. The first is to improve the laws and regulations of the party and state institutions. Strengthen the construction of laws and regulations within the party, study and formulate the organization establishment law, and enhance the seriousness and authority of the "three decisions" provisions. We will fully implement the power and responsibility list system of government departments, realize the organic connection between the power and responsibility list and the "three decisions", and standardize and constrain the performance of duties. The second is to strengthen the rigid constraints of institutional staffing management. Strengthen the party’s centralized and unified leadership over the organization establishment, make overall use of various establishment resources, and increase the overall deployment of establishment between departments and regions. Strict implementation of institutional limits, the number of leadership positions, the types and total amount of preparation and other provisions. Strictly control supernumerary employees. The third is to increase the investigation and punishment of violations of discipline and law in the organization, and seriously pursue accountability.
Third, effectively guarantee the effective promotion of institutional reform
Deepening the reform of the party and state institutions is a systematic project, with arduous and complicated tasks and great difficulty in organizing and implementing. We must adhere to the general tone of striving for progress while maintaining stability, adhere to the correct direction of reform, unify our thoughts and actions with Socialism with Chinese characteristics Thought of the Supreme Leader in the new era, and unify them with the decision-making arrangements of the CPC Central Committee on deepening the reform of the party and state institutions, strengthen the "four consciousnesses", strengthen the "four self-confidences", resolutely safeguard the authority of the CPC Central Committee with the Supreme Leader as the core and centralize and unify leadership, grasp the relationship between reform, development and stability, strengthen confidence, seize opportunities, and focus on solving outstanding contradictions in stages.
(1) Strengthening Party leadership. Deepening the reform of the party and state institutions is a major event in the current political life of the party and state. We must give full play to the party’s leading core role in the overall situation of reform, development and stability, and lead and promote this major reform with the party’s political advantages. The unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee deepens the reform of party and state institutions, and plays the role of overall coordination, overall promotion and supervision and implementation. It is necessary to strengthen the systematicness, integrity and coordination of the reform, and strengthen the coordination of institutional reforms in all aspects of the party, government and military groups, so that all reforms can promote each other and complement each other to form an overall effect. All localities and departments must resolutely implement the task of deepening the reform of the party and state institutions set by the CPC Central Committee, and party committees and governments must fulfill their main responsibilities, dare to take responsibility and dare to face difficulties.
(2) Implementing the reform plan in an orderly manner according to law. The requirements of institutional reform should ultimately be reflected in the reform plan. All localities and departments should conscientiously implement the reform plan determined by the central authorities, so as to ensure a steady pace. If laws and regulations need to be formulated or amended to implement the institutional reform plan, relevant procedures should be started in time. In formulating specific implementation plans such as the "three decisions", all departments, especially those involved in the adjustment of institutional functions, should pay attention to the overall situation, consciously obey the central decision, ensure that institutional functions are adjusted in place in time as required, and pay close attention to the completion of transfer and handover, and are not allowed to make changes or delay reforms. Under the unified deployment of the CPC Central Committee, the central and provincial institutional reforms were initiated, and the institutional reforms below the provincial level were carried out after the provincial institutional reforms were basically completed.
(3) Give full play to the initiative of the central and local authorities. China has a vast territory and a large population, and the situation at all levels is very different. On the one hand, it is necessary to strengthen the centralized and unified leadership of the central government, strengthen the top-level design and overall planning, intensify breakthroughs when conditions are ripe, and do a good job of connecting with reforms in other fields, so as to achieve a game of chess and consistent actions throughout the country; On the other hand, we should also give full consideration to local conditions, mobilize and give full play to local enthusiasm and creativity, and encourage local and grass-roots units to actively explore according to local conditions. For practices of universal significance, it is necessary to sum up experience and promote them nationwide in time.
(4) Do a solid and meticulous implementation work. Deepening institutional reform involves the adjustment of the interests of departments and individuals, and the specific implementation of the reform plan is challenging. Some institutional adjustments will be put in place within a few months after the introduction of the plan; Some reforms may take some time, which requires careful work. Party committees and governments at all levels should fulfill their leadership responsibilities for deepening the institutional reform of the Party and the state, study and solve new situations and new problems arising in the process of institutional reform, strengthen ideological and political work, and do a good job in patiently and meticulously explaining and educating the departments and individuals involved, so as to ensure that their thoughts are not chaotic, their ranks are not scattered, and their operations are normal. Relevant departments should correctly guide public opinion, do a good job in propaganda, interpretation and answering questions, create a good social environment, and ensure the smooth, orderly and effective progress of all work.