The Communist Party of China further demonstrated its determination to improve its work styles as Party chief Xi Jinping?launched a year-long campaign to thoroughly clean up undesirable practices such as formalism, bureaucratism, laxity and extravagance.

"The main task of the campaign is a focus on building work styles," Xi, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said at a high-profile conference held to deploy the campaign.

Party members should be critical and self-critical in the spirit of rectifying improper work styles, Xi said.

"Winning or losing public support is an issue that concerns the CPC's survival or extinction," Xi said.

The CPC can only be stable when it maintains a single mind and shares weal and woe with the people, as well as relies on the people to push forward historical advancement, he said.

The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee decided at a conference held in April to launch a campaign to boost ties between CPC members and the public from the latter half of this year.

The campaign will focus on CPC organs and officials at or above the county level who will be required to reflect on their own practices and correct any misconduct.

Xi said the campaign should focus on self-purification, self-perfection, self-renewal and self-progression.

He also raised a metaphorical requirement for CPC members, using the phrase "watching from the mirror, grooming oneself, taking a bath and seeking remedies."

"Watching from the mirror" requires members to refer to the CPC Constitution as a mirror and to live up to CPC discipline and public expectations.

"Grooming oneself" means correcting one's misconduct and projecting a good image for the CPC members.

"Taking a bath" requires CPC members to keep a clean mind and behave properly so as to maintain the correct nature of a CPC member.

"Seeking remedies" means educating or punishing those who engage in misconduct.

Tuesday's conference was also attended by the other six members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, including Li Keqiang, Zhang Dejiang, Yu Zhengsheng, Liu Yunshan, Wang Qishan and Zhang Gaoli.

(Xinhua contributed to the story)