Membership of Party tops 95m as young blood joins

The century-old Communist Party of China remains vibrant and prosperous as its membership has exceeded 95 million ahead of its centenary.

The CPC had 95.15 million members as of June 5, up 3.5 percent up from the membership at the end of 2019.

The figure is about 20 times more than that in 1949, when the People's Republic of China was founded, according to figures released by the Organization Department of the CPC Central Committee on Wednesday, one day ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Party's founding.

The Party has also seen more young people joining. There are now 23.68 million Party members age 35 or younger, according to the latest figures, accounting for 24.9 percent of the total-0.7 percentage point higher than the proportion at the end of 2019.

Experts on Party building said the CPC has greatly improved its leadership and intensified efforts in addressing many critical issues, such as curbing corruption and fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. This had helped attract more people, especially younger people, to become Party members.

According to official data, about 2.31 million people became CPC members in the first half of this year, roughly the same as the total number of new Party members last year.

"The youth, and those from various walks of life, have injected fresh blood into the Party, optimizing the membership structure and helping the Party maintain strong vitality," said Wu Hui, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee.

Yuan Xin, from the Beijing No 4 Intermediate People's Court, joined the Party in early June. "I'm proud of being a Party member ahead of the Party's 100th birthday. That's what I've always hoped for," said the 25-year-old.

"When I saw Party members in our court act so bravely in fighting the virus, actively helping others and taking the lead in work during the critical period of the pandemic outbreak, my desire to be one of them got stronger," Yuan said.

Wu said the Party's leadership and capacity to organize and coordinate its members to tackle big issues, such as fighting the epidemic, could explain why the CPC is supported by more people and has retained its vitality. "The Party always stays at the forefront in difficult times. With the Party taking the leading role, the nation becomes more united and cohesive amid challenges from home and abroad," he said.

Jiang Shuping, a senior researcher at the Institute of Party History and Literature of the CPC Central Committee, said the CPC has always stood with the people and upheld the fundamental interests of the people over the past century, something that sets Marxist parties apart from others.

"It is also the reason why the Party has the endorsement and support of the people," Jiang said.

As of June 5, the CPC had 27.45 million female members, accounting for 28.8 percent of the total, compared with only 11.9 percent in the early days of New China. The proportion of members from ethnic minority groups has grown from 2.5 percent to 7.5 percent over the same period.

In terms of occupations, workers and farmers are the main group, accounting for 33.9 percent of the total.