CCP Launches ‘Whole-Party Investigation,’ Echoing Mao-Era Movements

Chinese leader Xi Jinping (R) is congratulated by Politburo Standing Committee member Li Qiang after being confirmed as head of the Communist Party for a third term during the third plenary session of the National People's Congress in Beijing, China on March 10, 2023. Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is launching a campaign of “vigorous research and investigation” that engages the “whole Party” to find ways to resolve what it refers to as “major and deep issues” within the organization. Several commentators have suggested that the CCP’s revisiting a political movement used in the Mao era signifies the struggle that communist leader Xi Jinping and his team of loyalists face.

On March 19, the CCP issued a “Work Plan” for the entire Party to implement “in a vigorous manner.” The document seeks to mobilize the entire Communist Party to investigate and study problems that hinder the adoption of “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era,” and the implementation of the Party’s theory, line, principles, and policies.

Mao’s Whole-Party Movement

Commentator Wang He said the Work Plan itself describes the risks the CCP is faced with. The approach of engaging the whole Communist Party to resolve a crisis is not new: both Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping had similar proposals. Wang said that “Historically, the CCP has always tackled ‘difficulties’ by claiming to be ‘open-minded,’ and calling for ‘suggestions’ to ease political crises.”