CPC to launch Party member thematic education campaign

BEIJING -- The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held a meeting Monday, deciding that an education campaign on the theme of "staying true to the Party's founding mission" will start in June.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting.

The top-down campaign among all Party members will be conducted in two separate batches, especially targeting officials at and above the county level, according to a statement issued after the meeting.

The statement stressed the importance of the campaign, saying it is a major arrangement by the CPC Central Committee with Xi at the core to "command the great struggle, great project, great cause, and great dream."

The fundamental task of the campaign is to conduct in-depth studies on and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, forge the political character of loyalty, integrity and a keen sense of responsibility, and unite the Chinese people of all ethnic groups and lead them to strive together for the realization of the great dream.

Fighting formalities for formalities' sake and bureaucratism should be taken as an important part of the education, it read.

Leading organs and officials should set an example in the campaign, it demanded.

The evaluation of the campaign's effect should be based on improving the quality of officials, solving problems, and the appraisal and opinion of the general public, according to the statement.

The statement called for efforts to make good use of the experiences and practices in the education campaign to improve the Party system.

A plan for integrated regional development of the Yangtze River Delta was also reviewed at the meeting.

As one of the regions boasting the most robust economic growth, the highest level of opening up and strongest innovation capability, the Yangtze River Delta plays an essential role in promoting the Chinese economy, according to the statement.

The Yangtze River Delta should play an exemplary role in seeking regional integration and high-quality development to boost the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and east China and build a regional cluster of high-quality development.

It stressed that elevating the integration plan to a national strategy is a significant policy decision by the CPC Central Committee.

Shanghai Municipality and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui should strengthen cooperation in various spheres, making solid steps towards integrated development, it added.