On the eve of the 1st of July, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) central committees and several provinces have convened a series of “Party Building Leadership Group Meetings.” According to sources, these meetings, led by Cai Qi, are aimed at conducting political assessments of local officials and reviewing their performance.
The National Party Building Work Symposium of the CCP was held on June 15th in Beijing. Cai Qi, a member of the CCP Central Political Bureau and leader of the Central Party Building Leadership Group, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Li Xi, the Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and Deputy Leader of the Central Party Building Leadership Group, also participated. The meeting introduced the so-called “Xi Jinping Party Building Thought,” summarizing its core essence as “fourteen insists.”
An insider, using the pseudonym Feng Sucheng, revealed that the recent party building meetings held across various regions were in response to Cai Qi’s directives to implement Xi Jinping’s party building ideology. Feng commented, “During this meeting, Cai Qi officially introduced Xi Jinping’s Party Building Thought and demanded that all party members and cadres act in accordance with Xi Jinping’s directives. The central authorities are urging local areas to convene party building meetings, where grassroots leaders must report on the achievements in local governance in recent years.”
Feng Sucheng mentioned that starting from June 16th, various party committees have been preparing to hold party building meetings to assess officials’ loyalty to the Party. He stated, “Leaders and cadres are required to conduct self-inspections to determine the state of local economies, accomplishments, and any deficiencies. Cai Qi now oversees political assessments, personnel appointments, with even more power than Wang Qishan in previous years.”
According to reports from CCP official media, on June 16th, the Communist Party Committee of Heilongjiang Province held a meeting of the Party Building Leadership Group to continue to thoroughly investigate and address the “deviations in performance views.”
On the 17th, the Communist Party Committee of Zhejiang Province convened a meeting of the Party Building Leadership Group, explicitly emphasizing the study and implementation of the so-called “Xi Jinping Party Building Thought” and planning the implementation in Zhejiang Province.
Furthermore, on the 18th, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs held a meeting of the Party Building Leadership Group, covering topics such as learning the concept of “correct performance views,” listening to progress reports on rectification, and reviewing the leadership team’s learning, education, and rectification records. The key themes of these meetings revolved around “correct performance views,” rectification, inspection feedback, and addressing past issues impartially.
Another source, Mr. Yao, indicated that the recent wave of party building meetings held by the various party building groups before July 1 is an attempt to emphasize Xi Jinping’s authoritative position before the Party celebration. He stated, “Officially, they call it learning the ‘fourteen insists,’ but top officials within the system understand clearly that this is not mere theoretical learning but a formal signal of the ‘mid-year political midterm exam’ by Cai Qi.”
Yao further disclosed that these actions by high-ranking officials serve as a warning to officials who have secretly transferred assets overseas and seek to relax in domestic official positions. He emphasized, “Anyone who can’t justify the local debt and financial holes they’ve created and is playing it safe will have their hats thrown off. It’s not just about making a statement of loyalty anymore; it’s about re-evaluating officials’ performances through the lens of party building ideology.”
Another insider, using the pseudonym Li Shu, shared with reporters that the promotion of the so-called “Party Building Thought” before July 1 by the CCP is to further pressure Party officials. Li expressed, “This is tightening the reins on officials, telling them that being an official is not as easy as before. Whether you engage in corruption or not, you still need to show performance. Now, it’s not just about investigating corruption but also examining whether you have brought the local area to ruin, created financial holes, and political risks.”
Li Shu believes that this round of party building meetings indicates that the CCP is not only investigating corruption but also scrutinizing loyalty, responsibility, and performance. Local officials are now required not only to pledge allegiance but also to present the shortcomings left behind in local governance in recent years as part of their performance review.