Party Meeting Sets Tone for Nationwide Campaign
On June 15, the CCP held a national symposium on Party-building in Beijing, according to Chinese state media People’s Daily. Cai Qi, a member of the CCP’s top Politburo Standing Committee and head of the Central Leading Group for Party Building, attended and delivered remarks.The meeting promoted what the Party describes as “Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building,” summarizing its core principles as the “14 adherences.”
The gathering set the tone for a series of similar meetings now being rolled out across provinces and central government agencies.
An insider from within the CCP told The Epoch Times the recent wave of meetings reflects directives from Cai Qi to implement Xi’s Party-building ideology and increase political conformity among Party cadres.
“This time, Cai Qi is pushing for the formal rollout of Xi Jinping’s Party-building thought,” he said. “Officials are required to act strictly according to the instructions. Local governments must report on their governance performance over recent years.”
The CCP insider added that since June 16, Party committees across the country have been preparing meetings that require officials to conduct self-assessments of their political loyalty and governance records.
“Leading cadres must review their own performance—what they have achieved in developing the local economy,” he said.
“Those who cannot demonstrate results, or whose outcomes are unclear, will be replaced. Cai Qi now oversees political evaluation and personnel decisions.”
Official announcements show that multiple regions and ministries have already held similar meetings.
On June 16, the Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee’s leading group on Party-building convened a meeting, where Party Secretary Xu Qin emphasized the need to identify and correct “deviations in performance outlook” among officials.
On June 17, Zhejiang province’s Party-building leading group held a meeting to study and implement “Xi Jinping Thought on Party Building” and to plan enforcement measures at the provincial level.
On June 18, China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs held its own meeting. The agenda included studying the concept of a “correct view of political performance,” reviewing progress on rectification efforts, and evaluating internal compliance documentation from leadership teams.
Political Loyalty and Performance Under Review
Another insider from within the CCP, surnamed Yao, told The Epoch Times the timing of the campaign ahead of July 1 is intended to reinforce Xi’s authority within the Party apparatus.“On the surface, it is about studying the ‘14 adherences,’ but within the system, senior officials understand this is not routine ideological study,” he said. “It is essentially a mid-year political examination initiated by Cai Qi.”
Yao also suggested the campaign serves as a warning to officials who may have transferred assets overseas while maintaining low engagement in domestic governance responsibilities.
“If a local government cannot explain its debt problems or fiscal gaps, and continues to take a passive approach, officials risk being removed,” he said.
“This is no longer just about showing political loyalty. It is about re-evaluating governance performance through Party ideology—what the local economy has become and how much fiscal burden has been left behind must be clearly accounted for.”
The Central Leading Group for Party Building is a high-level coordination body under the CCP. It is currently headed by Cai, with Li Xi and Shi Taifeng serving as deputy heads.
Cai, who also serves as head of the Party Secretariat and director of the General Office of the CCP Central Committee, plays a central role in overseeing the Party’s organizational and ideological system.
According to the first CCP insider, the current wave of Party-building meetings is less about formal ideological study and more about restructuring political incentives and screening officials.
A third CCP insider told The Epoch Times the campaign signals a broader tightening of discipline within the Party ahead of major political milestones.
“This is effectively tightening the constraints on officials,” he said.
“It is no longer enough to avoid corruption—you must also demonstrate performance. Officials are now being assessed not only on loyalty, but also on whether they have created fiscal risks or damaged local governance.”
The third insider argued that the campaign reflects an expanded definition of accountability within the Party, where officials are expected to demonstrate political loyalty while also accounting for economic outcomes and policy consequences accumulated over recent years.