Leaders take lead in campaign against harmful work styles(4)

Xi also asked Political Bureau members to never stop boosting their ideological and political levels.

The priority for the Political Bureau is adhering to the appropriate political line, stance, orientation and path, which Xi said is also the cardinal task in securing the CPC's leadership and China's socialist system.

He asked members to "place ideological and political work at first place," and refer to the Marxist political outlook in self-examination, transformation and improvement.

Xi asked members to remain steadfast in their ideals and beliefs, and to strengthen their political acumen and judgement.

Members of the Political Bureau were also urged to correctly understand and firmly safeguard the overall situation of the CPC and the country, reform and development, social stability, the security of the CPC's leadership and the socialist regime, and the unity of the Party and the country.

Analysts have deemed the conference an opportunity for the CPC's top leadership to "look into the mirror and straighten their attire" together, as well as an assembly call for the Party's over 80 million members to improve their work styles.

Cai Xia, a professor with the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, said, "This conference is a gathering for a democratic exchange of ideas."

Themes discussed at the conference can be regarded as an upgraded version of the "eight-point" rules, and the conference took stock of progress made in implementing the rules, according to Cai.

Compared with the "eight-point" rules unveiled last year, the special conference went one step further by initiating a lasting mechanism for the campaign to improve work styles. It not only raised theories, but also moved to perfect relevant systems, Cai said.