Full coverage: 95 years of glory

The CPC has brought about dramatic changes to the most populous country in the world. It has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty and ushered the nation onto the stage of global powers. But how does the CPC select, train, assess and promote its members? And how does the party fight corruption and abuses of power? Let's take a closer look at the inner sanctum of the Party.

It's not that well known in the West, but the CPC’s Organization Department is very important in China. It's responsible for selecting, supervising, assessing and promoting party and government officials.

With many years of practice and exploration, the Party has developed a cadre selection mechanism, which is centered on a democratic and appointment-based process.

Dai Xiaoshu is the former deputy director of the department's first bureau of cadres. He told us there are four parts in total to the selection mechanism.

"The first is a democratic selection system that is the same as international practices. We follow relevant rules and charters to elect the leader through democratic selection," said Dai Xiaoshu, Fmr. Deputy Director, the First Bureau of Cadres
Organization Dept. of CPC Central Committee.

"The second is appointment selection, we combine top-down appointments with bottom-up recommendations and evaluations. We rely mainly on this option to recruit party and government officials."

"The third is examination selection. In recent years, the selection process has been diversified with more open selections and competition for posts. The last is recruitment selection, which is designed for positions requiring technical expertise or other special qualities."

The CPC Central Committee party school is in Beijing, and is the higher education institution which specifically trains party officials.

Xie Chuntao is a professor at the school. He told us that even after being selected, party cadres still have to follow strict training. Every cadre has to study in the party school for at least three months every five years. If not, they may lose the opportunity to be promoted.

The training covers various aspects.

"Our party schools are set up everywhere, from party committees at the central and county levels to even inside some big enterprises and universities. The training covers the party’s theories, policy measures, as well as knowledge of the economy, law, science and technology, and other topics that are related to international communication," said Professor Xie Chuntao, CPC Central Committee Party School.

China has launched a nationwide anti-corruption campaign in recent years, and a number of high-ranking party and government officials have been removed and jailed.

Dai Xiaoshu told us that supervision of party cadres comes from two places.

The first is from the party's discipline inspection and supervision departments, and the second is from personnel departments.

Meanwhile, eight-point regulations, which were stipulated by President Xi Jinping, have added another aspect of discipline among party members. They instruct them to reject extravagance and reduce bureaucratic visits, meetings and so-called "empty talk".

Dai also said, "What the Eight-Point Regulations forbid are things that were overlooked in the past, such as treats and gifts, and extravagant banquets. Some may not seem very costly or may come in quantities not large enough to break the rules."

"But it is these very phenomena that can be breeding grounds for violations of law. We start from these seemingly ordinary and small things to foster a clean and just environment in the Party, and to promote a sound atmosphere nationwide."

And for party officials, Dai added that virtue has always been regarded as the most important trait.