BEIJING — The General Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee has issued a trial regulation on how leading Party members groups discuss and decide the punishment of Party members.

According to the regulation, leading Party members groups should fulfill the main responsibility of ensuring the strict and full governance over the Party. Discipline inspection groups, sent by the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the National Supervisory Commission, have the responsibility of supervision.

A discipline inspection group stationed at a department is responsible for filing and investigating cases of discipline violations committed by city-level officials of the department, the regulation said.

The discipline inspection group propose a preliminary suggestion for punishment and discuss the suggestion with the department’s leading Party members group. The case is then transferred to central discipline inspection and supervision authorities for a trial after the two groups reach a consensus, it said.

Cases of discipline violations by county-level officials of a department can be investigated and tried by the Party committee and the discipline inspection commission of the department.

The punishment should be discussed and decided by the department’s leading Party members group, and advised by the discipline inspection group stationed at the department, according to the regulation.

The regulation will go into effect on Jan 1, 2019.