On October 22, 2025, Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Yu Dunhai had a written interview to Nigeria’s The Sun Newspaper regarding the Eight Rules, underscoring its comprehensive significance for both China and the world. The full text is as follows:
1.In China, people often say that the “Eight Rules (on improving Party and government conduct)” have changed the country. What does “Eight Rules” refer to?
In simple terms, the Eight Rules are a set of behavioral guidelines issued by the Communist Party of China (CPC) for all its members. They address eight key areas: improving investigation and fact-finding trips, streamlining meetings and other activities, reducing documents and briefings, standardizing arrangements for visits abroad, improving security procedures, improving news reports, imposing restrictions on publishing writings, and practicing diligence and frugality. Each area includes specific rules, such as requiring officials to go to the grassroots level to gain an understanding of the actual situation, limiting the scale and frequency of meetings, and ensuring that documents are concise and practical. This institutional arrangement, introduced by the CPC, the ruling party of a major country in response to new circumstances, aims to enforce strict Party self-governance, regulate the conduct of its members, and better serve the people. It embodies distinct Chinese characteristics while also aligning with the globally shared pursuit of modernized and clean governance.
2.Why did the CPC introduce the Eight Rules, and how have they changed China?
After the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the newly elected central leadership addressed pressing issues within the Party, including formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance. These problems were reflected in some Party members and officials who were detached from the public, engaged in wasteful spending, and abused power—misconducts that severely damaged the Party’s image and credibility. The Rules were therefore introduced to set clear standards for Party members’ daily conducts and tackle such misconducts.
The key reason why the Rules have been highly effective in China lies in their sound design, rigorous enforcement, alignment with national conditions and broad public support. The rules are concise and targeted, with specific provisions that are easy to implement, monitor and use for accountability, thereby avoiding vague policy slogans. With Party and state leaders setting the example, the top-down implementation has ensured compliance at all levels, which has strengthened the Rules’ authority and impact. Moreover, the Eight Rules responded to the public’s strong call for anti-corruption, clean governance and the rejection of waste. By directly addressing issues of public concern, the Rules have gained widespread support and laid a solid social foundation for their sustained implementation.
3. With over 225,000 cases of Eight Rules violations handled in 2024 alone, what does the CPC’s rigorous accountability demonstrate to the world about its approach to governance?
This rigorous accountability reflects two key aspects of the CPC’s governance approach. On the one hand, it embodies the Party’s people-centered philosophy, which serves as its fundamental principle. The CPC prioritizes the needs of the people, placing their well-being at the core of its mission and striving to fulfill their aspirations for a better life. Over the past decade, the Party has vigorously addressed misconduct and corruption that harm public interests, tackling “petty corruption” in daily life and removing barriers to the implementation of policies that benefit the people. Through these actions, it has worked wholeheartedly to resolve the everyday difficulties and concerns of the people, demonstrating a consistent commitment to people-centered governance.
On the other hand, it reflects the CPC’s courage in pursuing self-reform. Self-reform is one of the Party’s defining traits and greatest strengths. As a century-old political party, the CPC has consistently focused on self-improvement and self-reform since its founding. A key reason why the Party has been able to lead the Chinese people through difficult times and achieve great successes and why it enjoys public support is its unwavering commitment to self-reform. By upholding the truth and correcting mistakes, and with the support of the Chinese people, the CPC has continuously worked to improve and reform itself. This has enabled the Party to grow more mature and firm, securing its role as the strong leading core of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
4.Why do the Eight Rules have global significance?
Many international media and think tank reports note that the Party’s self-discipline shown in the Eight Rules is not exclusive to any specific political system, rather it reflects a universal public demand for modern, efficient and clean governance. The Rules offer unique experience in modernizing public governance and provide valuable lessons to other countries on how to regulate power, protect people’s interests and improve governance. This, in my view, is the global significance of the Rules, which can be further explained as follows:
First, the Eight Rules promote clean, practical and efficient governance. These principles align closely with global trends in fighting corruption and improving public administration. For instance, the UN Convention Against Corruption also emphasizes transparency, accountability and the proper management of public resources. The Eight Rules put these ideas into practice, offering an operational model for global governance.
Second, the Eight Rules address the global challenge of corruption. As a worldwide problem, corruption weakens public trust in governments and hinders economic development. According to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, cracking down on corruption remains an urgent priority for many countries. Through concrete and enforceable measures, the Eight Rules have effectively curbed corrupt practices, showing how this institutionalized mechanism can successfully tackle corruption.
Third, the Eight Rules embody a people-centered governance philosophy. This philosophy is consistent with broader global trends that prioritize citizen-centered governance reforms. For example, in their public service reforms, African and Latin American countries also emphasize that governments must address public needs and improve living standards.
Fourth, the Eight Rules demonstrate the sustainability of institutionalized anti-corruption mechanisms. Many countries struggle with short-lived anti-corruption policies. The Eight Rules, through their sustained enforcement and robust accountability, offer a model for transforming short-term policies into long-term governance mechanisms.
It must be noted that every country should find a solution that is based on its national conditions and suits its realities.
5. President Xi Jinping has been closely identified with the Eight Rules, which many view as emblematic of his leadership style. Looking ahead, how will this guiding principle of discipline and people-centered governance shape China’s engagement with Africa and the wider world, particularly in areas of political cooperation and mutual trust?
The Eight Rules reflect the CPC’s firm commitment to full and rigorous self-governance, as well as its efforts to maintain the Party’s progressive and wholesome nature and shape China’s international image as a clean, honest, pragmatic and efficient nation in the new era. In its engagements with Africa and other global partners, China has integrated the spirit of the Eight Rules into its major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, injecting strong momentum into deepening political mutual trust and expanding practical cooperation.
China’s clean political environment has not only elevated ethical and cultural standards across society, but also strengthened international recognition and trust in China’s policies. In a 2023 survey covering 23 countries, 94.2% of respondents acknowledged the CPC’s central role in advancing democracy and modernization in China, while 94% expressed approval of China’s national governance capabilities. Through its wholehearted service to the people, strict self-discipline, and integrity-building efforts, the CPC has set a positive example for political parties worldwide. This has earned China political prestige and credibility as a responsible major country, which further translates into trust, influence and appeal in its international interactions.
The ethos of clean governance promoted by the Eight Rules is manifested on the global stage as steadfast support for fairness, justice and multilateralism. China consistently upholds mutual respect, fairness, justice and win-win cooperation, while opposing all forms of hegemonism and power politics. By proposing systematic global public goods such as the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, the Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Governance Initiative, China has contributed stability and certainty to a turbulent world, demonstrating its responsibility and commitment to improving global governance.
Looking ahead, China remains committed to strengthening political trust and expanding mutually beneficial cooperation with African countries, including Nigeria, as well as with other international partners, thereby making greater contributions to building a community with a shared future for humanity.