Rectification as Power: How China’s Cadre Discipline Shields the CCP
Andrew Mertha argues that Xi Jinping’s purges are not signs of a fragile regime but part of a long-running CCP discipline system built on rectification: keep cadres inside the party, force self-criticism, and maintain permanent dossiers. Purges are exceptions; the overarching mechanism strengthens centralized control and coordination across the bureaucracy, turning discipline into a tool of endurance rather than ideological conversion. The main risk remains succession, not internal decay, meaning the party is likely to endure but with a potentially weaker military and tighter political control.
