Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, February 28 - Communiqué of the Second Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

(Adopted at the Second Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on February 28, 2023)

The Second Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was held in Beijing from February 26 to 28, 2023.

Present at the plenary session were 203 members and 170 alternate members of the Central Committee. Members of the Standing Committee of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and leading officials from relevant departments attended the session as non-voting participants.

The plenary session was presided over by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, delivered an important speech.

The plenary session heard and discussed a work report delivered by Xi Jinping on behalf of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, reviewed the lists of candidates proposed by the Political Bureau for leading positions of state organs to be recommended to the first session of the 14th National People's Congress (NPC) and candidates for leading positions of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) to be recommended to the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, which were formulated on the basis of soliciting opinions extensively from both within and outside the Party and after repeated deliberations and discussions, and decided to submit the two lists to the presidium of the first session of the 14th NPC and the presidium of the first session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee for deliberation. The plenary session reviewed and adopted the Plan for Reform of Party and State Institutions, which was formulated on the basis of soliciting opinions extensively. Xi Jinping explained the draft plan to the plenary session. The plenary session agreed to submit part of the plan to the first session of the 14th NPC for deliberation in accordance with legal procedures.

The plenary session fully affirmed the work of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee since the first plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. It was agreed that facing a grave and complex international environment as well as arduous and demanding domestic tasks of reform, development and stability, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee has fully implemented the guiding principles from the Party's 20th National Congress and the first plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. It has held high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, fully implemented Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, adhered to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, better coordinated domestic and international imperatives, COVID-19 response and economic and social development, as well as development and security. It has promoted the intensive efforts to study, publicize and implement the guiding principles from the Party's 20th National Congress, solemnly commemorated Comrade Jiang Zemin, made preparations for the elections of new leading bodies of the NPC and CPPCC, dynamically optimized and adjusted COVID-19 response measures, worked to steadily revive the economy and promote high-quality development, advanced the development of socialist democracy and the rule of law and the work related to the promotion of culture and ethical and moral standards, earnestly safeguarded and improved people's wellbeing, resolutely upheld national security and social stability, embarked on a new journey in major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, and further exercised full and rigorous governance over the Party. Progress has been made in all fields of endeavor.

The plenary session emphasized that the successful convening of the first sessions of the 14th National People's Congress and the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference is of great significance in further mobilizing the entire Party and people of all ethnic groups across the country to unite and strive for building a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The plenary session held that since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has regarded deepening the reform of Party and state institutions as an important task for modernizing China’s system and capacity for governance. By upholding the full leadership of the Party, prioritizing the people, optimizing institutions for greater coordination and efficiency, and exercising law-based governance on all fronts, the CPC Central Committee has deepened reform of Party and state institutions, leading to a systemic and holistic restructuring of the functions of Party and state institutions. These efforts have provided a powerful guarantee for the historic achievements and transformation in the cause of the Party and the country, and have also accumulated valuable experience for continuing to deepen the reform of Party and state institutions.

The session pointed out that the 20th CPC National Congress made important plans for deepening institutional reform, which are of great and profound significance to building a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts. We must follow the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, take strengthening the centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee as the overarching principle, and take modernizing China’s system and capacity for governance as the orientation. We must adhere to the general principle of pursuing progress while ensuring stability, adapt our work to the requirements of promoting the five-sphere integrated plan and the four-pronged comprehensive strategy, and meet the needs of creating a new pattern of development and pursuing high-quality development. We must adopt a problem-oriented approach and take coordinated steps to reform institutions under the CPC Central Committee, the National People’s Congress, the State Council, and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, as well as institutions at both the central and local levels. We will deepen institutional reform in key sectors to ensure that Party leadership over socialist modernization is more scientific in institutional structuring, more optimized in functional allocation, more sound in systems and mechanisms, and more efficient in operation and management.

The session stressed that all regions and departments must view the reform of Party and state institutions from the perspective of the overall development of the Party and the country, fully recognize its importance and urgency, and acquire a deep understanding of the decisive significance of establishing Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and establishing the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. We must strengthen our consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership. We must stay confident in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and uphold Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee’s authority and its centralized, unified leadership. We must take the initiative to align our thoughts and actions with the decisions and plans of the Party Central Committee, resolutely uphold their authority and binding force, strengthen our confidence and resolve in reform, and strengthen organizational leadership to ensure the reform tasks are fulfilled to the letter.

The session held that intensifying efforts to study, publicize, and implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress is the primary political task of the whole Party at present and for some time to come, and that we must promote deeper and more substantive progress in this regard. We should explore new means and effective methods to promote the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress in a way that resonates with the people in government bodies, enterprises, public institutions, urban and rural communities, schools, the military, and new economic and social organizations, as well as online, so as to truly instill the guiding principles in people’s hearts. Leading officials should continue to play an exemplary role in studying, grasping, and implementing the guiding principles in full. They should gain a deep understanding of the great significance of the transformative achievements made in the new era over the past decade, acquire a good command of the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and the stances, viewpoints, and methods underpinning it, and fully comprehend the goals, tasks, strategic plans, and major measures for developing the cause of the Party and the country in the new era and on the new journey. Officials should formulate and implement concrete plans and measures for implementing the guiding principles in light of actual conditions in their respective regions and departments, and ensure that the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress are fully implemented.

The plenary session stressed that major changes unseen in a century are accelerating across the world, and the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation. China’s development has entered a period in which strategic opportunities, risks, and challenges are concurrent and uncertainties and unforeseen factors are rising. We must therefore be ready to withstand high winds, choppy waters, and even dangerous storms. The tasks of reform, development, and stability remain arduous, with many deep-seated problems yet to be resolved. The triple pressures of contracting demand, supply shocks, and weakening expectations are still considerable. The foundation of economic recovery is not solid enough, and unforeseen factors may arise at any time. All Party members must remain confident, maintain strategic composure, carry forward our fighting spirit, and strive to better balance epidemic prevention and control with economic and social development, better balance development and security, and better balance domestic circulation and international engagement. We must work hard to achieve all our targets and tasks for the year. We must fully, faithfully, and comprehensively apply the new development philosophy, move faster to create a new development dynamic, and focus our efforts on pursuing high-quality development. We must thoroughly implement the decisions and plans of the Party Central Committee on epidemic prevention and control in the new stage and put into practice all measures for managing COVID-19 as a Class B infectious disease. We must strive to expand domestic demand, enhance the resilience and security of industrial and supply chains, further improve the business environment to make it more market-oriented, law-based, and internationalized, and take well-conceived steps to prevent and defuse major economic and financial risks so as to forestall systemic risks. We must do more to ensure and improve people’s wellbeing by implementing the employment-first policy, ensuring the basic needs of people in difficulty, strengthening the social safety net, addressing weaknesses in medical and health services, especially in urban and rural communities, and refining the system of policies in support of childbirth. We must advance rural revitalization across the board, consolidate and expand the achievements of poverty alleviation, and prevent large-scale relapse into poverty.

The plenary session emphasized the need to deepen reform and opening up with unwavering resolve. Efforts should be focused on the overarching goal of comprehensively building a modern socialist country by introducing a series of strategic, innovative, and pioneering reform measures. There should be stronger systemic integration and coordination of reforms to achieve new breakthroughs in key areas and critical links. It is essential to uphold and improve the basic socialist economic system, refine the modern enterprise system with Chinese characteristics, strengthen and improve modern financial regulation, and promote high-standard opening up. Reforms across all sectors must be planned and advanced in a coordinated manner. Attention should be paid to improving mechanisms for implementing reforms to ensure their effective execution. This will continuously enhance the momentum and vitality of socialist modernization and better translate China's institutional strengths into effective governance.

The plenary session emphasized the need to thoroughly implement the strategic plans for Party building outlined at the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), maintain a clear and firm stance on addressing the unique challenges of a major party, improve the system for exercising full and rigorous Party self-governance, and advance all aspects of Party building in a coordinated manner, driving the new great project of Party building in the new era to deeper development. The campaign to study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era throughout the Party should be scientifically planned and meticulously organized, with strengthened theoretical study and application, to achieve tangible outcomes. Efforts should be made to enhance the ideological and political development of leading bodies after leadership transitions, strictly implement democratic centralism, foster a clean and upright political environment, and create a dynamic atmosphere of unity, collaboration, responsibility, and effectiveness. It is essential to uphold strict discipline and continuously deepen the correction of the "four forms of decadence" (formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance), vigorously promote the practice of investigation and research, and encourage a pragmatic and diligent work style to achieve solid results that stand the test of history and the people. A coordinated effort must be made to advance the fight against corruption, ensuring that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity, or desire to be corrupt, and resolutely win the tough and enduring battle against corruption.

The plenary session called on all Party members and people of all ethnic groups across the country to rally even more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, uphold and carry forward the great founding spirit of the Party, bear in mind the "Three Musts," remain confident and self-reliant while upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground, forge ahead with determination and perseverance, advance the modernization of China in a steady manner, and strive together to achieve the goals and tasks set forth at the 20th CPC National Congress.