2023 China Tobacco Semi-Annual Work Conference Held in Beijing

Disclaimer: This notice is translated from the news article issued by eastobacco.com on July 19, 2023.  The translation is provided for reference only. The Chinese original text is the only authoritative source of information.

On July 19, the National Tobacco Semi-Annual Work Conference for 2023 was held in Beijing. The main tasks of the conference were as follows: adhering to Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the guiding ideology, comprehensively implementing the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the First and Second Plenary Sessions of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council. It aimed to conscientiously implement the work requirements of the Party Group of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, summarize the work situation in the first half of the year, analyze the current situation and problems faced, deploy key tasks for the second half of the year, ensure the completion of the annual goals and tasks, and make every effort to promote the high-quality development and modernization of the industry. In his speech, Zhang Jianmin, Secretary of the Party Group and Director of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration, and General Manager of China National Tobacco Corporation, emphasized the need for the entire industry to unite more closely around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at the core, persistently promote high-quality development, advance efficient governance, cultivate high-quality talent, accelerate the modernization of the industry, and contribute to the comprehensive construction of a socialist modern country with excellent achievements.

Zhang Jianmin reviewed the achievements of the industry's work in the first half of the year in his speech. He pointed out that in recent years, the entire industry has continuously improved its political position, making continuous efforts in comprehensively studying, grasping, and implementing the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, and making unremitting efforts in using the Party's innovative theories to consolidate and strengthen the unity of thought and purpose. With a high degree of political consciousness, ideological consciousness, and action consciousness, it has promoted the theme education on Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Focusing on the major strategic thoughts, arrangements, and tasks put forward by the Party Central Committee, it has systematically planned the overall thinking, major objectives, and key tasks for the future development of the industry, and made strategic arrangements to promote high-quality development and accelerate the modernization of the industry. It has adhered to the overall tone of seeking progress while maintaining stability, earnestly implemented the "sixteen-character" guideline, overcome various unfavorable factors at the beginning of the year, scientifically grasped the intensity and pace of regulation, and consolidated the positive trend of the industry's economic operation. It has continued to deepen reforms in key areas and key processes, resolutely implemented the strategies of innovation-driven development, "big brands, big market, big enterprises," and digital transformation, and gradually strengthened the new driving forces for the industry's development. It has always maintained a high-pressure situation in cracking down on counterfeiting and smuggling, effectively strengthened the daily supervision of the tobacco market, strengthened the regulation of electronic cigarettes in accordance with the law, and made every effort to maintain a good market order and safeguard national interests and consumer interests. It has implemented the "three no tolerance" strategy of promoting integrity, anti-corruption, and anti-decadence in an integrated manner, demonstrated a determined attitude against corruption, achieved remarkable results in comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline, and continuously improved the political ecology and overall work style.

To focus on the key tasks in the industry for the second half of the year, the conference emphasized the following points:

First, solidly promote theme education to deepen understanding and achieve more significant results in strengthening ideological guidance, enhancing intelligence, correcting work styles, and promoting practical work. It is necessary to organically link and coordinate the two batches of theme education. Continuously push theme education to a deeper level with higher standards, greater efforts, stricter requirements, and more practical measures. Combine the two batches of theme education with the promotion of key tasks in the industry, and use the results of theme education to test the effectiveness of promoting high-quality development and modernization. Focus on deepening internalization and transformation of education. Put efforts into integrating theory learning with thinking application, unify knowledge and belief with actions, concentrate on problem-solving through investigations and research, promote development through quality improvement and benefits for the people, and achieve real changes through rigorous inspection and rectification. Establish a long-term mechanism to consolidate the results of theme education. Integrate theme education into daily work, summarize and promote good experiences and practices, establish and improve systems and mechanisms, improve assessment and evaluation systems, and make theme education a regular and long-term practice.

Second, consolidate efforts to implement the strategic deployment of the Party Group of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration to fully promote high-quality development and accelerate the modernization of the industry. Anchor the strategic deployment and implement it effectively. Deeply understand the essence and practical requirements of the strategic deployment, integrate the requirements into the work of the industry, comprehensively implement key tasks, and ensure clear directions, clear paths, and strong execution. Find the right work positioning and improve measures for effective implementation. Each department and unit of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration and China Tobacco Corporation should strengthen work refinement and implementation according to their responsibilities, clarify task assignments, roadmaps, and timetables. Directly affiliated units of the industry should accurately grasp their functional positioning, develop and implement effective measures, and grassroots enterprises should vigorously strengthen basic capacity building and comprehensively improve their work level and development.

Third, make every effort to maintain stable economic operation and promote the industry's long-term sustainable development. Focus on stabilizing growth and contributions. Adhere to the principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability and persistently implement the "sixteen-character" guideline. Based on a clear standard of "reasonable growth," highlight the development goal of "sustained" development, and make efforts to continuously improve the quality and efficiency of the industry's development. Keep a close eye on the annual goals and tasks, strengthen economic operation regulation, continuously improve the compatibility between the industry's economy and the macroeconomy, stabilize the industry's contribution to the national finances and the macroeconomy, and make all-around contributions to the industry. Maintain a favorable market status. Strengthen the grasp of consumer demand, improve the coordination between cigarette production and sales, and match the supply and demand. Promote a balanced supply-demand relationship, enhance the adaptability of cigarette production and sales to market demand, and accelerate the optimization and upgrading of the market to build a high-standard tobacco market system. Promote the stable and coordinated development of the entire industry chain. Vigorously promote the modernization of tobacco agriculture, promote the high-end, intelligent, and green development of industrial manufacturing, accelerate the improvement of modern circulation, and strengthen the supporting capacity of auxiliary materials.

Fourth, continuously deepen reform and innovation and continuously enhance development momentum. Deepen reforms to drive development. Continuously deepen reforms in key areas and key processes, focus on improving operational efficiency, enhancing development vitality, and expanding development space. Continuously promote innovation-driven development. Enhance the industry's independent innovation capabilities, improve the efficiency of the innovation system, coordinate and strengthen basic research and key core technology research, and promote deep integration of science and technology industries. Continuously promote brand-driven development. Improve brand development plans, enhance the quality of brand development, stabilize brand cooperative production, strengthen the collaboration between brand and commerce, and continuously improve the competitiveness of key brands. Continuously promote digital empowerment and development. Accelerate the digital transformation strategy, proactively deploy digital infrastructure, promote the early establishment and effectiveness of the integrated platform for national tobacco production and management, and enhance the industry's digital development capabilities. Continuously promote management to promote development. Strengthen basic enterprise management, control costs and expenses, effectively enhance normative management, and continuously improve enterprise management level and industry governance effectiveness.

Fifth, maintain a good market order and comprehensively strengthen tobacco market supervision. Maintain a high-pressure situation in cracking down on counterfeiting and smuggling. Strengthen joint law enforcement, promote high-level cross-departmental and cross-regional cooperation, and enhance the overall collaborative effort in all aspects and elements of the entire chain. Give full play to the role of tobacco-related intelligence and investigation, explore the work of analyzing and judging similar cases, and focus on investigating and handling major cases. Target the key areas and key links to solve outstanding problems. Strictly regulate production and operation order. Relieve pressure at the source, control channels, and crack down on abnormal flow of genuine tobacco products. Coordinate the use of regulatory forces, strengthen the comprehensive supervision of tobacco companies, improve new regulatory mechanisms, and promote innovative coordination in retail market supervision. Explore the implementation of risk-item and management responsibility lists, and enhance enterprise compliance management level. Strengthen the supervision of new types of tobacco products, such as electronic cigarettes, in accordance with the law, conduct in-depth rectification of internet-related tobacco issues, increase efforts in logistics and delivery supervision related to tobacco, and consolidate the achievements in the governance of "tea and tobacco" and other similar tobacco products and tobacco seeds.

Sixth, deepen strict Party governance to better play a leading and guaranteeing role. Firmly carry out disciplinary actions and anti-corruption efforts. Give higher prominence to disciplinary construction, strengthen regular discipline education, and strictly implement discipline regulations and rules. Deepen the integrated promotion of the "three no tolerance" anti-corruption strategy, adhere to a systematic approach to cure both the symptoms and root causes, and increase anti-corruption efforts in key areas and critical links. Continue to strengthen the implementation of the eight-point central regulations, improve the mechanism of investigating corruption and malpractice, and make industry work style construction a regular and long-term practice. Improve the comprehensive and strict Party governance system. Focus on the "key few," establish a regular supervision mechanism for the "top leader" and leadership team, continuously advance the construction of institutional norms in accordance with the changing times, promote institutional innovation, integration, and coordination to form a system synergy. Adhere to the Party's internal supervision as the mainstay, promote internal supervision coordination, and improve the supervisory system. Boost the spirit and enthusiasm for entrepreneurship. Adhere to the correct guidance of personnel selection and employment, continue to select and appoint outstanding leaders, cultivate and strengthen the talent team in the industry, continuously strengthen grassroots foundations, and stimulate the vitality of the workforce.

The conference emphasized the need to better coordinate development and security, firmly establish the concept of "comprehensive security," and integrate safety and development throughout the entire process of industry development. Continuously strengthen the prevention of major risks and hidden dangers, firmly guard against major risks, create and maintain a harmonious development environment for the industry, and ensure the steady and far-reaching high-quality development and modernization of the industry. 

The conference stressed the following points: 

First, unify thinking and build consensus, effectively align thoughts and actions with the requirements of the Party Group of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration. Focus on work deployment, further clarify responsibilities, refine measures, and promote implementation, effectively implementing various key tasks in the second half of the year. 

Second, concentrate efforts and take practical actions to achieve greater results in implementing various tasks through the integration of learning and implementation. Combine reform promotion with theme education, and use the implementation of work to test the results of theme education. 

Third, guard against risks and hold the bottom line, enhance safety development capabilities by effectively responding to various risks and challenges. Thoroughly investigate various risks and hidden dangers, ensure a good market status, maintain stable economic operation, and prevent safety accidents. 

During the conference, representatives attending the conference conducted group discussions on ensuring the completion of annual goals and tasks and promoting high-quality development and modernization of the industry.

The main responsible persons of each department and unit of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration and China Tobacco Corporation, as well as the directors of the various offices, participated in the main conference. Relevant comrades from the 7th Corporate Audit Bureau of the National Audit Office, vice-ministerial-level cadres of the State Tobacco Monopoly Administration and China Tobacco Corporation, and other members of the industry's various departments and unit management teams attended the conference in the sub-conference venues.