China Issues Notice on Xi Jinping’s Party Building Thought

China’s Central Party Building Work Leading Group has issued a formal notice calling for the study and implementation of Xi Jinping’s thought on Party building, a move that reinforces the theoretical foundation for Party governance and ideological discipline across the Chinese Communist Party (CPC). The notice, published by Xinhua News Agency on June 18, 2026, outlines a comprehensive framework for understanding and applying the leader’s vision for Party construction.

Context and Significance

The notice, titled “Notice on Studying and Implementing Xi Jinping’s Party Building Thought” (《关于学习贯彻习近平党建思想的通知》), describes Xi Jinping’s Party building thought as a major theoretical achievement that combines Marxist principles with China’s concrete realities and traditional culture. It is presented as an important component of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, providing fundamental guidance for what the Party calls “the great new project of Party building in the new era.”

According to the Communist Party Member Network (12371.cn), Xi Jinping’s Party building thought “makes major original contributions to the development of Marxist Party building theory” and marks a new height in the Party’s understanding of the laws governing Communist Party governance and self-construction.

The Fourteen Persistences

Central to the notice is the framework of the “Fourteen Persistences” (十四个坚持), which outline the core tenets of Xi Jinping’s Party building thought. These include: upholding Party leadership, centralized unified leadership, comprehensive strict Party governance, remaining true to the original aspiration, political construction as the guiding principle, theoretical armed with innovative theory, cultivating strong Party spirit, building a well-organized system, constructing high-caliber cadres, normalizing work style improvement, strict discipline, integrated anti-corruption efforts, institutional governance, and implementing political responsibility.

Shen Chengfei, Dean of the School of Marxism at Sun Yat-sen University, told the Communist Party Member Network that Xi Jinping’s Party building thought “was born from the great practice of comprehensive strict Party governance in the new era, achieving a leap from important viewpoints to systematic architecture, from practical experience to law-based understanding.”

Implementation Requirements

The notice requires all Party committees (党组) at every level to treat studying and implementing Xi Jinping’s Party building thought as “an important political task for the current period and the period ahead.” It mandates conducting training, organizing propaganda, and ensuring implementation while explicitly warning against formalism (形式主义) — a notable acknowledgment of potential superficial compliance that has affected previous study campaigns.

Party officials and academics across China have responded to the notice with statements of support. From village Party secretaries to county and municipal leaders, the responses published by state media emphasize the practical application of the theory at the grassroots level. Huo Yankai, Party branch secretary of Huojiazhuang Village in Hebei Province, stressed that implementing Party leadership requires concrete action, stating that it must be “integrated into every matter concerning people’s livelihoods.”

Theoretical and Practical Dimensions

The notice emphasizes that Xi Jinping’s Party building thought enriches and develops Marxist Party building theory through the combination of basic Marxist principles with China’s specific conditions and traditional culture. It calls on Party members to understand the thought’s theoretical character, including its firm ideals, historical initiative, problem-oriented approach, sense of mission, deep commitment to the people, and scientific methodology.

In Hainan Province, Lin Hongzhen, director of the Research and Publicity Office of the Lingao County Discipline Inspection Commission, noted that the thought represents “the latest achievement of the ‘two combinations’ in the field of Party building,” referring to the integration of Marxism with Chinese practice and traditional culture.

Broader Implications

The issuance of this notice comes during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period (2026-2030), which the notice describes as a critical period for basically realizing socialist modernization. The timing suggests an ongoing effort to strengthen ideological unity and Party discipline as China navigates complex domestic and international challenges.

Notably, the notice and accompanying commentary suggest that Xi Jinping’s Party building thought may have global ambitions. Shen Chengfei was quoted as saying the framework offers “Chinese solutions” for political parties worldwide in their own construction and governance — a claim that positions the CPC’s theoretical developments as having relevance beyond China’s borders.

What to Watch

As Party committees across China begin implementing the notice, observers will be watching for how the theoretical framework translates into practical governance measures. The explicit warning against formalism suggests that leadership is aware of the challenges in ensuring substantive rather than performative compliance. The extent to which the “Fourteen Persistences” shape policy decisions and cadre evaluations in the coming months will be a key indicator of the notice’s real impact on China’s political landscape.