Red flags on the Tian'anmen Square and atop the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Sixth Plenum of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee last month announced measures to strengthen Party building under the current situation and provided new guidelines for stricter self-governance of the Party. By doing so, the plenum aims to further improve the Party's institutional system.

More importantly, the plenum bestowed the honor of Party "core" on top leader Xi Jinping, which is of great significance to the Party's political development, as well as the nation's development.

The communiqué issued by the plenum called on all Party members to "closely unite around the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core", in order to push forward the fundamental interests of the Party and the nation. That the core is crucial for the governance of the country and the Party is the precious experience the CPC has gathered during its 95-year history.

The Party today is leading the Chinese people to realize the "two centenary goals"－of establishing a moderately well-off society in all aspects by the time the CPC celebrates its centenary in 2021, and transforming China into a prosperous, democratic and harmonious modern socialist country by the time the People's Republic of China celebrates its centenary in 2049.

The Party also shoulders the historical responsibility of achieving the Chinese nation's great rejuvenation, for which it is necessary to closely unite around the core of the Party's leadership.

The core is critical to strengthening the Party's leadership and promoting the Party's development under new historical conditions. It will also promote the strategy of "four comprehensives": comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society, comprehensively deepening reform, comprehensively implementing the rule of law and comprehensively strengthening Party governance. And it will strengthen the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress Xi has led the entire Party, military and people of all ethnic groups in the country to make significant achievements toward eventually establishing socialism with Chinese characteristics. He has also led the Party and country to realize the goals of reform and development. Deepening reform in an all-round way has become the theme of the times, and economic structural transformation has been steadily promoted, earning China greater say and more influence in the world.

Party building, too, has made great progress. After the Party implemented the eight-point code for officials to maintain close ties with the people, formalism, bureaucratism, extravagance and corruption within the CPC have been effectively curbed.

In particular, efforts to strengthen self-governance within the Party and eliminate corruption have made remarkable progress, winning wide public support.

The Party and the country, led by Xi, have accomplished many goals since the 18th Party National Congress, receiving the praise of the Chinese people.

But China still faces challenges in deepening reform in an all-round way, and a lot still needs to be done to strictly govern the Party. This requires the leadership to implement the strategy of the "four comprehensives" with more political courage and determination. And the core status of Xi will play a highly significant role in achieving these tasks and realizing the "two centenary goals".

We have reasons to believe that under the leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Xi as its core, the Party and the country will eventually realize the great Chinese dream.

The author is deputy director of the Center for Anti-corruption Studies, University of Science and Technology of Beijing.