Over the course of some 17 visits to China, Morris Tovebae, general secretary of Papua New Guinea's ruling Pangu Party, has witnessed the country's remarkable transformation and sought to understand what lies behind its success.
Tovebae said that the changes he saw prompted him to ask himself, "What's the magic?"
Through his repeated visits, he gradually found an answer in the Communist Party of China's strong leadership and organizational system, Tovebae said in an interview with China Daily.
What particularly impressed him was the CPC's extensive grassroots network, which he said helps connect government decisions with people's needs and development priorities.
Inspired by what he has seen, Tovebae is seeking to strengthen his own party by drawing on the CPC's organizational experience. He is particularly interested in China's Party school system and hopes to establish a similar institution in Papua New Guinea to train party members and political leaders, helping the Pangu Party build lasting organizational strength.
However, maintaining that organizational strength presents a continuing challenge for the CPC: how to sustain effective leadership and discipline across its vast membership.
The Party had nearly 101.29 million members and more than 5.43 million primary-level organizations at the end of 2025, according to figures released in June by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee.
At its fifth plenary session from Oct 26 to 29, the 20th CPC Central Committee adopted a resolution on major issues concerning persevering with full and rigorous Party self-governance, setting out measures to address these challenges.
In his explanation of the resolution, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, noted that for more than a century, the CPC had grown stronger by relying on its own efforts and the support of the people to resolve internal problems.
Xi also noted that full and rigorous Party self-governance remains a long-term strategic task. While the vast majority of Party members are exemplary, he said problems and hidden dangers remain that could undermine the Party's advanced nature and integrity and jeopardize its long-term governance.
The resolution stresses that the Party's long-term governance, the enduring peace China enjoys and the complex circumstances it faces make it all the more important to "be ever ready to protect against potential dangers in time of peace and make our Party more competent and stronger".
It identifies strict management of officials as the key to full and rigorous Party self-governance and emphasizes that Party organizations at all levels play the principal role in this endeavor, calling for a well-knit organizational system characterized by cross-level alignment and effective implementation.
British economist John Ross, a senior fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University of China, attributed the CPC's continued vitality to its ability to adapt to China's changing development needs.
As China developed from a poor country into a major technological power, the Party had to adjust its policies and leadership rather than rely on approaches suited to earlier stages, he said.
Sławomir Majman, deputy director of the Institute of Security and International Development in Poland, highlighted the CPC's ability to translate political decisions into action.
Drawing on Poland's experience before 1989, Majman said that the CPC had played an active role in advancing reforms, with its organizational structure helping ensure that decisions were carried out rather than remaining on paper.
He also emphasized the importance of combating corruption, comparing its destructive effects on a country's development prospects to those of cancer.
Majman described the Chinese leadership's emphasis on fighting corruption as "something very positive and very important".
He also said that In the Name of the People, a Chinese drama centered on the fight against corruption, is his favorite Chinese television series.
The resolution adopted at the plenary session says that taking integrated steps to ensure that officials do not have the audacity, opportunity or desire to commit corruption is both an important policy for full and rigorous Party self-governance and a fundamental principle in the fight against corruption.
According to official Chinese figures, since the 18th National Congress of the CPC in 2012, discipline inspection and supervisory organs have filed 8.105 million cases and punished 7.922 million people. They have also investigated and handled 1.644 million cases involving pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance, with 2.257 million people criticized, educated or disciplined.
Efforts praised
Former British lawmaker George Galloway also spoke positively of China's efforts to hold corrupt officials accountable. "I think the general secretary of the Party has made remarkable progress in dealing with corrupt officials," he said.
Galloway emphasized the importance of preventing political office from becoming a means of personal enrichment and maintaining a clear distinction between public responsibilities and private financial interests.
Ratu Josaia Niudamu, Fiji's assistant minister for justice, said corruption remains a major challenge for smaller countries, particularly when it involves politicians and public officials.
"We have learned a lot," he said, expressing hope that China's anti-corruption experience could help Fiji strengthen its policies and laws.
For Gulnar Shaimergenova, director of the China Studies Center in Kazakhstan, the significance of sustained Party self-governance extends beyond disciplinary measures to the broader challenge of maintaining effective institutions and public trust.
"Party self-governance is not simply a matter of disciplinary campaigns," Shaimergenova said in a written interview with China Daily. "Its long-term significance lies in transforming accountability, supervision and responsible conduct into regular institutional practices."
She said this approach was particularly relevant to China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), as translating long-term development priorities into practical outcomes requires consistent policy implementation and sustained accountability.
"While domestic governance systems differ, the broader lesson is that institutions must be capable of adapting, correcting mistakes and maintaining consistency between their commitments and their performance," she said.
"Public confidence cannot be taken for granted," she added, stressing that it must be reinforced through accountability, effective governance and tangible improvements in people's lives.
zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn
