Xinhua disclosed (January 5) that the CCP had issued a new rule book for CCP members on January 4, which said that cadres can make complaints about their superiors but are prohibited from airing them in public. China Daily (January 5) said the rules list 13 rights of CCP members. They are also banned from expressing opinions that are ‘not consistent’ with the decisions of the central leadership. The new rules, in an effort to motivate cadres, stipulate that work-related mistakes will no longer be treated as discipline violations. Another new article says that party members will be entitled to propose the removal of their leaders if they can prove they are incompetent. Article 11 of the new rules stipulates that while party members are entitled to report misconduct by other members, including those who hold a higher rank, they must not disseminate such information at will and must not do so on the internet. Reference to the internet is new. The new rules also officially incorporate references to 'Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era'.

(Comment: The CCP Rule Book was last updated 16 years ago. These amendments come just 6 months before the CCP's 100th Founding Anniversary and in the wake of the unprecedented protests that persisted through 2018 and saw the CCP and senior CCP cadres including Xi Jinping being criticised by name on the internet/social media.)