The new rules released by the party’s general office on Thursday, decree that underperforming party members, whose problematic conduct might not warrant a formal corruption investigation, be disqualified from the party, state-run Xinhua news agency said.
Comprising 27 articles, the rules are “crucial for exercising full and rigorous” party self-cleansing, according to Xinhua, quoting an official from the Central Organisation Department, the party’s top personnel office.
Unlike disciplinary measures imposed on party members who violate the party’s discipline, such as for corruption, this new set of regulations specifically targets party members who “lack revolutionary spirit, fail to fulfil their party obligations, or no longer meet party membership criteria”, the official told Xinhua.
It is essential for establishing a team of party members with “stronger beliefs, better political reliability, superior qualities, stricter discipline and more significant contributions”, the official said.
According to Xie Maosong, a senior research fellow at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, membership of the ruling Communist Party is a necessity for any inspiring Chinese who wants to climb the political or social ladder, but that many had slacked off after joining the party.
“The party is already very big. While it is growing in numbers, it must also control the quality of people who are in the party,” Xie said.
According to the report issued by the Central Organisation Department in June, the party had more than 99.18 million members at the end of 2023, up by more than 1.14 million from 2022.
Xie said before these rules, the party mainly relied on the party’s anti-graft watchdogs for self-cleansing but it could only tackle serious wrongdoings.
Many with smaller conduct problems had previously been undisciplined but now the organisation department would have necessary means to show the exit to those who were lagging behind, he said.
The official from the Central Organisation Department said party branches were now required to closely watch their members’ conduct and set a deadline for underperforming members – such as those failing to take part in regular party activities or pay membership fees in full and on time – to rectify their behaviour.
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The party branch would expel members who have lost their ideals and beliefs, waver in their political stance, are disloyal to the party or fail to take part in party organisational activities for six months without a valid reason, or neglect work assigned to them by the party.
The party branch can persuade those who fail to rectify their conduct to voluntarily withdraw from the party, or it can expel them, depending on the circumstance, according to the official.
The official added that members who threatened to leave the Communisty Party as an attempt to leverage gains would be strongly encouraged to withdraw from the party if they did not change their behaviour despite consultation.
