# Eight-point Regulation

The Eight-point Regulation from the Central (Chinese: 中央八项规定) is a set of regulations stipulated by the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 2012 aimed at instilling more discipline among party members and making the party "closer to the masses". They were first announced on 4 December 2012, after a Politburo meeting led by Xi Jinping, who then had recently became General Secretary of the CCP. Detailed implementing regulations were adopted by the Politburo in 2022.
In effect, the regulations "aim to reduce bureaucracy, extravagance and undesirable work practices of CCP members," calls for party members and officials in particular to "do real work, say real things", and understand the practical situation on the ground. It seeks to tackle "practices of extravagance, formalism and bureaucracy" that permeated Chinese officialdom during the rule of Xi Jinping's predecessors. Beginning in 2012, local authorities implemented the regulation and stressed reforms as such prohibiting private use of public cars, reduce and simplify official meetings, and prohibit expensive meals and showy official trips.

## History

The eight-point regulation has played a significant role in Xi Jinping's anticorruption campaign.
On October 27, 2017, the first meeting of the Politburo of the 19th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (Chinese: 中国共产党第十九届中央委员会第一次全体会议) considered the Implementing Rules of the Political Bureau of the CCP Central Committee for Implementing the Eight-point Regulation of the Central Committee (Chinese: 中共中央政治局贯彻落实中央八项规定的实施细则).
At the end of 2021, the Politburo held a meeting and considered the Report on the Implementation of the Eight-point Regulation of the Central Committee by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee in 2021 (Chinese: 关于2021年中央政治局贯彻执行中央八项规定情况的报告) and the Report on the Work of Rectifying Formalism and Reducing Burdens for the Grassroots in 2021.
In September 2022, the meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee considered the Report on the Implementation of the Eight-point Regulation of the Central Committee by the Political Bureau of the 19th Central Committee (Chinese: 十九届中央政治局贯彻执行中央八项规定情况报告).
On October 25, 2022, the General Secretary Xi Jinping presided over a meeting of the Politburo, and one of the important agendas of the meeting was to consider the implementation rules for the Eight-point Regulation (Chinese: 中共中央政治局贯彻落实中央八项规定实施细则), and the meeting put forward the idea that the Eight-point Regulation of the Central Committee must always be regarded as the "long-term and effective rules of iron, and a hard bar".

## Regulation Text

   1. Leaders must keep in close contact with the grassroots. They must understand the real situation facing society through in-depth inspections at grassroots. Greater attention should be focused on places where social problems are more acute, and inspection tours must be carried out more thoroughly. Inspection tours as a mere formality should be strictly prohibited. Leaders should work and listen to the public and officials at the grassroots, and people's practical problems must be tackled. There should be no welcome banner, no red carpet, no floral arrangement or grand receptions for officials' visits.
   2. Meetings and major events should be strictly regulated, and efficiency improved. Political Bureau members are not allowed to attend ribbon-cutting or cornerstone-laying ceremonies, or celebrations and seminars, unless they get approval from the Party Central Committee. Official meetings should get shortened and be specific and to the point, with no empty and rigmarole talks.
   3. The issuing of official documents should be reduced.
   4. Officials' visits abroad should only be arranged when needed in terms of foreign affairs with fewer accompanying members, and on most of the occasions, there is no need for a reception by overseas Chinese people, institutions and students at the airport.
   5. There should be fewer traffic controls when leaders travel by cars to avoid unnecessary inconvenience to the public.There should be fewer traffic controls arranged for the leaders' security of their trips to avoid unnecessary inconvenience to the public.
   6. The media must not report on stories about official events unless there is real news value. The regulations also ban worthless news reports on senior officials' work and activities and said such reports should depend on work needs, news value and social effects.
   7. Leaders should not publish any works by themselves or issue any congratulatory letters unless an arrangement with the central leadership has been made. Official documents without substantial contents and realistic importance should be withheld. Publications regarding senior officials' work and activities are also restricted.
   8. Leaders must practise thrift and strictly follow relevant regulations on accommodation and cars.