In January 2024, a total of 10,928 cases violating the spirit of the Central Eight Provisions were investigated nationwide.

On February 27, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission released a summary of nationwide cases in January 2024 involving violations of the spirit of the Central Eight-point Regulation. In that month, a total of 10,928 cases of violations were handled nationwide, with 15,100 people receiving criticism, education, and disciplinary actions, including 11,725 receiving party and administrative sanctions. This marks the 125th consecutive month of publishing monthly report data.

Regarding the types of violations, in January, 3,749 cases involved dereliction of duty, inaction, misconduct, or false actions in performing responsibilities, serving economic and social development, and protecting the ecological environment, seriously affecting high-quality development. These accounted for 90.0% of the month's cases related to formalism and bureaucratism. The three categories of violations involving the illegal receipt or giving of precious specialties and gifts, illegal dining and drinking, and illegal distribution of subsidies or welfare accounted for 48.2%, 21.2%, and 14.0% respectively of the month's cases related to hedonism and extravagance.

Regarding the levels of officials involved, in January, nationwide there was 1 case involving provincial and ministerial-level leaders violating the spirit of the Central Eight-point Regulation, 99 cases involving prefecture and department-level leaders, 916 cases involving county and division-level leaders, and 9,912 cases involving township and section-level or lower officials. Among these, cases involving township and section-level or lower officials accounted for 90.7% of the total cases.

The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection proposed a special rectification of illegal dining and drinking, strictly investigating issues such as "official letter dining," "canteen dining," "boss dining," and "subordinate dining," resolutely preventing the "special treatment" of official receptions in financial institutions, state-owned enterprises, and other units. Discipline inspection and supervisory organs at all levels should accurately grasp the characteristics of illegal dining and drinking in their regions and units, adopt targeted measures to deepen rectification, crack down on violations as soon as they appear, timely prevent and control hidden and mutated phenomena, improve the mechanism for jointly investigating and treating both misconduct and corruption, and resolutely prevent any resurgence. Emphasis should be placed on comprehensive measures, promoting relevant regions and departments to continuously improve regulations on official receptions, business receptions, financial management, and other areas to address institutional shortcomings. Efforts should be made to both correct and establish good practices, educating and guiding the broad masses of party members and cadres to promote the fine tradition of hard work and thrift, resolutely avoid extravagance and waste, and continuously lead social customs and public morals upward and toward goodness with excellent party and government conduct.

Resolutely and unswervingly curb the unhealthy trend of illegal dining and drinking.

The Third Plenary Session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection made important arrangements for the special rectification of illegal dining and drinking. Discipline inspection and supervisory organs at all levels must consciously shoulder this major political task, integrate strict investigation, system improvement, and education, and deeply advance the special rectification of illegal dining and drinking, using breakthroughs in key issues to drive the overall progress of correcting the "Four Winds".

Illegal dining and drinking is a prominent problem that must be overcome, and the special rectification must be deepened with a focused effort. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has started from a single meal and a single glass of wine, persistently promoting the implementation of the Central Eight-point Regulation, curbing the previously thought impossible extravagant and rampant illegal dining and drinking, winning the hearts of the Party and the people with actions that build trust. On the new journey, to promote the spirit of the Central Eight-point Regulation becoming a social norm, the focus must remain on the problem of illegal dining and drinking. The Third Plenary Session of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection requires special rectification of illegal dining and drinking, an important deployment based on a profound understanding of the current "Four Winds" patterns. Illegal dining and drinking erodes the dam of the Central Eight-point Regulation, damages the Party's image, breeds political and corruption problems, and is more harmful than general hedonism and extravagance. Some leaders still "eat without changing their hearts," and erroneous arguments such as "minor issues," "affecting development," and "industry special cases" still have some market; bystander attitudes and fluke mentalities remain. It is necessary to maintain high vigilance, take a firm attitude, strong actions, and pragmatic measures to carry out a "thorough cleanup" of illegal dining and drinking, making the "golden card" of the Eight-point Regulation shine brighter through effective special rectification.

Old problems and new situations coexist in illegal dining and drinking, requiring precise targeting of prominent manifestations with a focused and rigorous approach. Through continuous rectification, phenomena such as public funds dining and openly illegal dining under the public eye have been effectively curbed, but some old problems have not been completely resolved, and new situations and trends such as hidden and mutated forms continue to emerge, requiring precise grasp and strong prevention. Issues like "official letter dining" must be closely monitored and deeply rectified, focusing on public funds as the key, insisting that public funds belong to the public and not a single cent can be misused, strictly correcting false listings of official receptions and business entertainments, embezzlement of meeting and office expenses for lavish dining, and "refined bookkeeping" behaviors, continuously reducing public funds dining problems. Issues like "boss dining" and "subordinate dining" must be tackled with increased intensity and real determination, focusing on the key of "using meals as a venue," deeply advancing joint investigation and treatment of misconduct and corruption, strictly investigating problems behind illegal dining such as requests for favors and benefit transfers, thoroughly uncovering corruption behind illegal dining, and completely eliminating viruses that erode the Party's healthy body. Issues like "canteen dining" require in-depth research and focused solutions, closely monitoring the hidden and covert characteristics, accurately identifying, making good use of technological means, innovating supervision methods, timely discovering and strictly handling illegal dining in internal canteens, private clubs, high-end communities, "farmhouse" restaurants, and "one-table meal" venues. Discipline inspection and supervisory organs at all levels should determine key issues for special rectification based on actual conditions, maintain a strict tone, take tough measures against violations, strictly investigate and publicize typical cases, and form a strong deterrent effect.

The problem of illegal dining and drinking is stubborn and complex, requiring deep and continuous efforts to address institutional and conceptual root causes. The special rectification of illegal dining and drinking should emphasize normalization and long-term effectiveness, strictly investigating and correcting violations while addressing root causes and plugging loopholes. Institutional management plays a fundamental and long-term role; institutional construction should be an important part of the special rectification, deepening case-based reforms and governance around illegal dining and drinking, promoting regions and units to thoroughly identify and close institutional loopholes, urging functional departments to further improve and refine regulations on official receptions and business entertainments, forming a batch of effective and practical institutional results to ensure normalization and long-term effectiveness of correction work. Make good use of disciplinary education as a powerful tool, using the Party-wide concentrated disciplinary education as an opportunity to help regions and departments review their regulations related to dining and drinking, strengthen publicity, interpretation, and case warnings, focusing on solving minor violations caused by lack of knowledge, familiarity, or attention to regulations and insufficient strictness in policy implementation and standard grasp, so that awareness of compliance and discipline takes root in the minds of party members and cadres. Adhere to the principle of seeking truth from facts, integrating compliance with regulations, discipline, and law throughout the entire special rectification process and all aspects, accurately grasping the policy boundary between illegal dining and normal interpersonal exchanges, combining strict investigation of violations with maintaining clean and clear political-business relations, ensuring the organic unity of political, disciplinary, legal, and social effects.

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