Crackdown

Before Lai received his death sentence in accordance with China's Criminal Law, he had already been expelled from the Party for seriously violating its rules.

His case shows that the CPC's disciplines apply to every Party member equally, and it also "indicates that the punishment for breaching the Party disciplines come ahead of those for disobeying national laws, and the Party's disciplinary punishments are stricter than those prescribed by law", Yang said.

According to a report released by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in January, about 522,000 Party members were punished for disciplinary violations last year.

In its annual work report, released in March, the Supreme People's Court revealed that about 26,000 people were given sentences for corruption-related crimes such as bribery and malpractice in 2020.

"The figures show that Party members and organizations are being held more strictly in line with Party disciplines," Yang said. "In other words, the requirements for Party members are higher than those for ordinary people."

"Party members must be held to higher standards. Otherwise, it will be difficult for them to get trust from the people, let alone lead the country to a better future," he added.

At the fifth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in January, President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed that constantly improving Party conduct, building a clean government and combating corruption are essential tasks, as people need "to feel deeply that in stormy times the strong leadership of the Party and the authority of the CPC Central Committee are what they can always count on".