Members of the CPC are vanguard fighters of the Chinese working class with communist consciousness.

Chinese workers, farmers, soldiers, intellectuals and other revolutionaries at 18 full years of age, who accept the Party Program and Party Constitution, are willing to participate in one Party organization and actively work in it, carry out Party resolutions and pay regular Party dues, may apply for membership in the CPC.

Party members must be admitted through a Party branch according to the principles of admitting members individually only, without exception.

Under special circumstances, the Party Central Committee, and provincial, autonomous regional and municipal Party committees can directly accept Party members.

An applicant must fill in the form for Party membership and have two full Party members as sponsors. The applicant can become a full Party member only when his or her application has been passed by the Party branch meeting and approved by the Party organization at the next higher level, and only after assessment over a probationary period.

Each Party member, regardless of whether his or her post is high or low, must be entered into a Party branch, group or other specific organization, and must participate in the Party’s regular organizational activities.

Leading Party officials must also participate in democratic meetings of Party committees or leading Party groups.

Party members are free to withdraw from the Party. When a Party member asks to withdraw from the Party, following discussion at a general meeting of the Party branch concerned, his or her name must be declared struck from the rolls, and the matter reported to the next higher level Party organization for the record.

When a Party member neglects to perform the duties of a Party member and fails to meet the requirements for a Party member, the Party branch shall educate him or her and require that he or she correct his or her shortcomings within a time limit; if after education he or she still shows no change, the Party branch shall persuade him or her to withdraw from the Party. The matter of persuading a Party member to withdraw shall be discussed and decided by a general meeting of the Party branch concerned and reported to the Party organization at the next higher level for approval. If the Party member persists in refusing to withdraw from the Party after being advised, the matter shall be referred to the Party branch for discussion at a general meeting, a decision taken to have his or her name struck from the rolls, and a report made to the Party organization at the next higher level for approval.

When a Party member has a difference of opinion concerning a Party resolution or policy, he or she may declare reservations on the premise of resolute implementation, and may forward his or her opinion to a higher organization up to the Central Committee.