“Four Consciousnesses”

On January 29, 2016, the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee publicly spelled out for the first time the “Four Consciousnesses”: maintaining political integrity, thinking in big-picture terms, following the leadership core, and keeping in alignment.

Addressing the meeting in commemoration of the CPC’s 95th anniversary, Xi Jinping urged the whole Party to enhance their “Four Consciousnesses,” and stay loyal to the Party, share the Party’s concerns, and fulfill their obligations to the Party.

The code of conduct for intra-party political life, adopted at the sixth plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee, also demanded all Party members to have these “Four Consciousnesses,” and closely follow the Central Committee in terms of their thinking, political orientation and actions.

The consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity means that Party members always study, analyze and solve problems from a political angle, as taking a clear political stand is the feature and strength of the CPC as a Marxist party. Party members must be firm in political belief and stance, follow a correct political orientation, observe political principles, be sober-headed politically, maintain political resolve, and have keen political insight and discernment. They must conduct intra-party political activities in earnest, and abide by political discipline and rules. They must follow a correct political orientation when devising policies, making plans and proceeding with their work, giving an eye to political influence when handling problems. The Party will use political integrity as a norm when admitting new members and selecting officials, offer political guidance to various organizations, and make good political planning for attracting the best minds across the land.

The consciousness of the need to think in big-picture terms means that Party members always keep in mind the overall situation, put overall interests first, and firmly protect overall interests. This is the correct approach to balancing the relationships between central and local governments, between overall and regional conditions, and between long-term and immediate interests. Party members must always think and act with the big picture in mind, and ensure the decisions and plans made by the central leadership are carried out without fail.

The consciousness of the need to follow the leadership core means that Party members always agree with, unite around, subordinate to, and safeguard the leadership core. The whole Party must uphold the centralized, unified leadership of the Central Committee, rally around the Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core, safeguard its authority, align themselves with the Central Committee in thinking, politics and actions, fulfill the tasks assigned by the Central Committee, and ensure that the CPC remains always a powerful leadership core in developing socialism with Chinese characteristics.

The consciousness of the need to keep in alignment means that Party members always follow the Central Committee, follow the Party’s theory, line, principles and policies, and follow the decisions and plans made by the Central Committee. They must respond to what the Central Committee champions, implement what it decides, and refrain from things it prohibits. These are political requirements and political discipline. Party organizations and Party members should check themselves against these requirements, and make timely corrections if necessary.

The “Four Consciousnesses” are basic standards for assessing the political integrity of Party members. They bear great significance to safeguarding Xi Jinping’s core role, the Central Committee’s authority, the Party’s unity and centralized, unified leadership, and to the prosperity and enduring stability of the Party and the country.

The CPC’s leadership is the greatest strength of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the key to strengthening it is to maintain the centralized and unified leadership of the Party’s Central Committee. The only way for the Party to become stronger and more united, and for it to always be the strong core leader of Chinese socialism, is for Party members to maintain political integrity, think in terms of the big picture, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment, and for them to always be aware of staying in close unison in both thoughts and deeds with the Central Committee.

“四個意識”

2016年1月29日，中央政治局會議首次公開提出增強政治意識、大局意識、核心意識、看齊意識這“四個意識”。習近平總書記在慶祝中國共產黨成立95周年大會上的講話強調，全黨同志要增強政治意識、大局意識、核心意識、看齊意識，切實做到對黨忠誠、為黨分憂、為黨擔責、為黨盡責。中共十八屆六中全會通過的《關于新形勢下黨內政治生活的若干準則》強調，全黨必須牢固樹立政治意識、大局意識、核心意識、看齊意識，自覺在思想上政治上行動上同黨中央保持高度一致。

政治意識要求從政治上看待、分析和處理問題。中國共產黨作為馬克思主義政黨，講政治是突出的特點和優勢。政治意識表現為堅定政治信仰，堅持正確的政治方向，堅持政治原則，站穩政治立場，保持政治清醒和政治定力，增強政治敏銳性和政治鑒別力；嚴肅黨內政治生活，嚴守政治紀律和政治規矩，研究制定政策要把握政治方向，謀劃推進工作要貫徹政治要求，解決矛盾問題要注意政治影響，發展黨員、選人用人要突出政治標準，對各類組織要加強政治領導、政治引領，對各類人才要加強政治吸納。

大局意識要求自覺從大局看問題，把工作放到大局中去思考、定位、擺布，做到正確認識大局、自覺服從大局、堅決維護大局。增強大局意識，就是要正確處理中央與地方、局部與全局、當前與長遠的關系，自覺從黨和國家大局出發想問題、辦事情、抓落實，堅決貫徹落實中央決策部署，確保中央政令暢通。

核心意識要求在思想上認同核心、在政治上圍繞核心、在組織上服從核心、在行動上維護核心。增強核心意識，就是要始終堅持、切實加強黨的領導特別是黨中央的集中統一領導，更加緊密地團結在以習近平同志為核心的黨中央周圍，更加堅定地維護黨中央權威，更加自覺地在思想上政治上行動上同黨中央保持高度一致，更加扎實地把黨中央部署的各項任務落到實處，確保黨始終成為中國特色社會主義事業的堅強領導核心。

看齊意識要求向黨中央看齊，向黨的理論和路線方針政策看齊，向黨中央決策部署看齊，做到黨中央提倡的堅決響應、黨中央決定的堅決執行、黨中央禁止的堅決不做。這“三個看齊”“三個堅決”是政治要求，也是政治紀律，各級黨組織和廣大黨員、干部要樹立高度自覺的看齊意識，經常和黨中央要求“對表”，看看有沒有“慢半拍”的問題，有沒有“時差”的問題，有沒有“看不齊”的問題，主動進行調整、糾正、校準。

“四個意識”是一個意蘊深刻、相互聯系的有機整體，集中體現了根本的政治方向、政治立場、政治要求，是檢驗黨員、干部政治素養的基本標準。增強“四個意識”、自覺維護習近平總書記的核心地位，對于維護黨中央權威、維護黨的團結和集中統一領導，對全黨全軍全國各族人民更好凝聚力量抓住機遇、戰勝挑戰，對全黨團結一心、不忘初心、繼續前進，對保證黨和國家興旺發達、長治久安，具有十分重大的意義。

黨的領導是中國特色社會主義制度的最大優勢，加強黨的領導的關鍵是堅持中央集中統一領導。只有增強政治意識、大局意識、核心意識、看齊意識，自覺在思想上政治上行動上同中央保持高度一致，才能使黨更加團結統一、堅強有力，始終成為中國特色社會主義事業的堅強領導核心。