New regulation shows Party rules stiffer than law
The Communist Party of China (CPC) has approved new rules on clean governance and punishments for breaking Party rules, as it moves to strengthen management of its members with measures considered stricter than laws, analysts said.
Though no other details were released, a statement issued Monday after the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee meeting said the revised rules redefine Party disciplines in six areas, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
In 2004, the CPC issued a regulation on punishments for breaking Party rules and disciplines. The rule on clean governance was issued in 2010, and lists 52 items Party leaders are forbidden from doing.
As the nation modernizes, it is also necessary for the Party to modernize with updated rules, analysts said.
Hu Xingdou, a Beijing Institute of Technology professor, told the Global Times that the CPC is in need of a modern system to crack down on corruption, to manage CPC members with institutionalized regulations as the nation promotes the rule of law.
The revision aims to draw a line between Party discipline and national laws, according to a commentary published on an official WeChat account of the People's Daily. It added that this will set a clearer code of conduct for CPC members.
Zhuang Deshui, a deputy director of the Research Center for Government Integrity Building at Peking University, who also participated in revising the rules, told the Global Times that the revised rules have removed the overlapped articles between Party disciplines and Criminal Law. These include provisions on corruption and bribery.
"For example, corruption, bribery and embezzlement of public funds have been deleted from the rules because those crimes are part of Criminal Law. Any violations of the law also mean the violations of Party disciplines," Zhuang said.
"Chinese laws are bottom lines for Chinese citizens while for Party members, the bottom lines - Party disciplines - must be stricter than laws, since the Party leads the nation. Party rules and disciplines are critical for Party construction and it should strictly manage Party members," said a Xinhua commentary on Monday.
According to Zhuang, gatherings in the name of townsmen, alumni or comrades-in-arms will be closely watched under the revised rules.
He added that public funds used for officials' activities, including golf and other luxurious expenses, are also stipulated.
Future Party supervision will focus on violators of Party disciplines, instead of law-breakers, Zhuang said.
He added that future lawbreakers will be handled by judicial authorities, and CPC disciplinary bodies will no longer take charge of investigation and punishment.
