SOURCE Global Times

BEIJING, Sept. 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Since its introduction in 2012, the Eight-Rules decision has not only become a "golden hallmark" of the Communist Party of China's efforts to improve Party conduct in the new era, but it has also served as a mobilization order for Party members to uphold credibility with concrete actions, stay clean and dedicated in their work, and create new achievements. The Global Times invites three scholars from the US, Brazil and Egypt to discuss the efficacy, global significance of the Eight-Rules decision and the examples it sets for ruling parties in other countries, especially those in the Global South.

Ken Hammond, a professor of East Asian and global history at New Mexico State University

The Eight-Rules decision provides important insights into how the CPC has worked to strengthen Party building and enhance governance. The decision addresses a variety of topics, many focused on making the Party more efficient and effective, while others specifically aim to improve relations with the people and ensure that decisions and policies adopted by the Party are grounded in facts, supported by clear and diligent research into the actual realities of China.

In his writings on good governance and the role of the Party, President Xi Jinping has invoked the concept of leadership by example. He has stated, "Only with stringent moral standards can one be strict with oneself," and "If the Party has a sound style of work, then the people are at peace and willing to stand with the Party in both success and adversity." These phrases underscore the necessity for the ruling party to set a clear moral example and hold itself to the highest standards of conduct.

The Eight-Rules decision reflects the CPC's commitment to governance and improving relations with the people, exemplifying how China has managed to align the leadership of the Party with the advancement of its citizens. CPC officials recognize the importance of setting an example through their conduct – not merely through words, but through tangible attitudes and actions. This substantive approach strengthens their credibility and effectively inspires others to follow their lead.

The Eight-Rules decision focuses on internal discipline and institutional rigor, emphasizing top-down accountability and results-based governance. In contrast to the Western notion that political legitimacy can only be derived from multiparty competition and electoral systems, the successful implementation of the Eight-Rules decision demonstrates an alternative pathway to establishing legitimacy – one grounded in effective governance, moral leadership, and tangible socio-economic progress. This enriches the discourse on political legitimacy and provides both theoretical confidence and practical reference for exploring political systems suited to national conditions.

Dr. Ahmed Moustafa, director of the Asia Center for Studies & Translation, Egypt

The Eight-Rules decision, introduced by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in 2012, represents a seminal and rigorous institutional framework for addressing deep-seated work style issues and restoring political integrity within a large governing party.

This set of directives explicitly targets undesirable work styles such as formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance by mandating concrete behavioral changes, such as reducing pointless meetings and streamlining documentation.

The Eight-Rules decision functions as a powerful mechanism of self-discipline, compelling Party members to internalize norms of austerity, service, and close connection with the populace, which are fundamental to the Party's historical legitimacy. This internal discipline is not a transient campaign but a sustained, institutionalized effort embedded within the broader architecture of full and rigorous Party self-governance, ensuring enforcement through a sophisticated system of internal inspection and disciplinary review.

Consequently, the Eight-Rules decision has become a cornerstone policy for mitigating the systemic risks of decay and alienation that historically threaten long-term ruling parties. It serves as a proactive measure to uphold the Party's vitality and public mandate.

The overarching system of full and rigorous Party self-governance is fundamentally aimed at maintaining the Party's progressive nature and its adaptability to the evolving needs of a modernizing society. Therefore, it represents an institutionalized and perpetual revolution from within, designed to ensure the Party's fitness to govern amid the complex domestic and international challenges of the 21st century.

This continuous path of self-reform provides a potent and effective practical experience for political parties worldwide, particularly those in developing nations and long-standing ruling parties that face analogous issues of entrenchment, corruption, and public distrust.

The Chinese experience offers a compelling alternative paradigm to Western-led models of political accountability, which often rely on external checks from opposition parties and press, by presenting a viable model of internally-driven, top-down disciplinary rigor that asserts it can achieve clean governance.

The empirical longevity of the CPC, coupled with China's rapid socio-economic transformation, lends significant credibility to this model of internal disciple as a means of reinforcing party legitimacy and operational effectiveness.

While the Eight-Rules decision is rooted in a Chinese context, the underlying principles – such as codifying expected conduct, enforcing norms through a powerful disciplinary apparatus, and linking official behavior directly to public sentiment – are universally translatable.

Other nations can glean insights into constructing their own institutional anti-corruption frameworks and improving governance styles, perhaps modifying the specifics to align with local cultural and political traditions while adopting the core emphasis on discipline and self-supervision. This demonstrates that the Chinese model is not necessarily prescriptive but rather illustrative, offering a proof-of-concept that intense internal governance is a feasible and potent method for maintaining cohesion and public trust.

José Medeiros da Silva, a Brazilian professor at Zhejiang International Studies University and a member of the translation team of the Portuguese editions of the book series Xi Jinping: The Governance of China

Serving the people is, ultimately, the fundamental reason for the very existence of the CPC. Like flesh and bone, the Party and the people form a unique and indivisible whole. For this reason, the search for and refinement of mechanisms that strengthen this symbiosis have remained a constant practical and theoretical imperative throughout the CPC's history. The centrality of this issue to the life of the Party and the governance of China helps us better understand the profound significance of the Eight-Rules regulation, introduced by the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in December 2012.

At its core, the Eight-Rules regulation is a set of guidelines and requirements aimed at consolidating, within both the Party and the government, a working style grounded in elevated ethical standards. It seeks to redouble efforts to strengthen Party building, and forge a team with pure Party spirit and strict discipline, ensuring that the Party will always live up to people's expectations, be able to unite and lead them in successfully fulfilling the historic mission entrusted to it.

It also serves as an outstanding example of how China has resumed its civilizational renewal by merging the highest ethical values of its traditional culture with the effectiveness of its scientific model of governance – socialism with Chinese characteristics, developed and led by the Party. As is well known, for Confucius, honesty and restraint were fundamental virtues for anyone in a position of governance or public service who wished to be respected and cherished by the people. In other words, as we often say in Brazil, setting a good example must begin at home.

In general terms, the Eight Rules regulation acts as a safeguard against pointless formality, bureaucratism, hedonism, extravagance, and corruption. It directly addresses inefficient bureaucracy, requiring Party officials and government leaders to maintain direct contact with the people. This approach enables both the Party and governments at all levels to pursue objective solutions to the most pressing social demands, thereby reinforcing public satisfaction and strengthening trust in the Party.

In some countries across the Global South, corruption and negligence in the management of public resources have led to growing public distrust in various elements of the political class. After more than a decade of implementation, the ethical strength and proven effectiveness of the Eight-Rules decision in shaping the conduct of Party and government officials, as well as improving governance, have become a powerful source of inspiration for governments and political parties around the world – especially those that genuinely hold the interests of the people at heart.

©PR Newswire. All Rights Reserved.

Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. XPRMedia and this Site make no warranties or representations in connection therewith. If you are affiliated with this page and would like it removed please contact [email protected]