On May 18, the General Office of the Communist Party of China released the revised “Regulations on the Development of Party Members of the Communist Party of China.” The new version of the document includes content on political review, joint review system, assessment of online behavior, and emphasizes putting “political standards first,” requiring stricter screening of potential party members. The revised regulations were formally implemented after being reviewed and approved by the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in April 2026. Analysts believe that the corruption within the CCP will not change due to these amendments.
The new version of the “Regulations” highlights the political requirements that applicants must meet, including “two confirmations” and “two upholds,” and stipulates that grassroots party organizations must conduct a discussion within one month of receiving a membership application. Active party applicants need to undergo at least one year of nurturing and observation before entering the formal development process.
Chinese independent scholar, Wu Simao (pseudonym), stated in an interview that this is the second modification to the party membership regulations since Xi Jinping took office. The 2014 version emphasized “always putting political standards first” as a fundamental requirement. However, this year’s revision includes specific political stances such as “two confirmations,” “four consciousnesses,” “four confidences,” and “two upholds,” directly integrated into the party member standards and development system.
The new “Regulations” incorporate the principle of “political purity” into the development of party members and for the first time explicitly emphasizes the review of online behavior, significant political events, and important social relationships. Article 16 specifies that political review includes an examination of the applicant’s political history, current performance, key family members, important social relationships, and online behavior. Individuals who fail the political review or have not undergone it are not eligible to join the Party.
Fang Yixiang (pseudonym), a Party history scholar at Renmin University of China, stated that past Party admissions primarily focused on “what have you done” but now extend to “current life status,” “online statements,” and “relationship networks.” The inclusion of “online behavior” in the regulations marks a significant change.
He explained, “Previously, political screenings mainly focused on historical issues, but now they extend to current expressions, social interactions, and personal relationship networks. Whether you’ve made inappropriate comments on WeChat, whether you’ve endorsed ‘lying flat,’ whether you have overseas relationships, how often you travel abroad, what you do abroad, checking bank account balances – these kinds of political reviews have always existed and are now explicitly stated in the Party regulations.”
The CCP previously revised the “Regulations on the Development of Party Members of the Communist Party of China” in 2014, emphasizing principles such as controlling the total number of members and optimizing the structure. While the previous revision stressed placing “political standards first,” it did not include expressions like “two confirmations.” This recent revision, 12 years after the last update, marks the second adjustment to the rules for Party member development during Xi Jinping’s tenure.
The 2026 “Regulations” add a new section on “doing a good job in developing party members in emerging fields.” According to Fang Yixiang, these emerging fields include platform economy, new media, internet industries, and flexible employment groups. He noted that the inclusion of the unemployed population indicates the significant scale of unemployment in China. These new economy groups such as online live streamers and e-commerce promoters are now also subject to control.
A source who requested anonymity commented, “The CCP is increasingly emphasizing loyalty checks for Party members, making the admission requirements more stringent, but this does not change the corruption at the top levels. The larger the official’s position, the more corrupt they become, which is a sign of the party’s corruption. While the admission requirements stress political loyalty, people can change, and the CCP itself is also undergoing transformation. Is China before 1949 the same as it is now?”
Some analysts believe that due to Xi’s regressive actions, there is significant domestic and internal Party discontent towards him. Xi is primarily concerned that Party members may not follow his instructions and fears his own shaky power, hence the continuous tightening of Party discipline, including admission conditions.
In recent years, the CCP has continuously strengthened the “overall national security outlook.” Political security, ideological security, and social stability have been repeatedly listed as key focus areas, extending the reach of governance down to community neighborhoods and villages.