The Communist Party of China has launched a nationwide ideological crackdown to prevent government officials from being "disoriented and losing themselves" to the pressure of Western ideals.

Chinese media quoted a recent circular from the party's Organization Department that insists government officials reconfirm their loyalty to what is called "socialism with Chinese" characteristics.

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This re-commitment will be accomplished by a "deepened education" in Marxist principles that form the basis of the communist ideology's centralized control by the Communist party.

Government officials, who are mostly Communist Party members, should guard against corrosive Western ideals such as constitutional democracy, universal values and civil society. There have been recent calls for China to create its own system of core values to counter Western values.

The circular emphasized the need for strengthening Marxist education. It also requires Communist Party schools and institutes to place more focus on traditional Chinese culture in their teaching.

Government officials are required to protect China's spiritual independence and avoid becoming yes-men for Western moral values. The party plans to establish a long-term mechanism for education to deal with the problem of ideological slackers.

The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the leading state-run think tank, said that its main standards for evaluating officials are ideology and political discipline.

The communist party had close to 87 million members in 2013, said the Organization Department. Enrolment in the party has been falling since 2012, however.

Membership in the party is mandatory for holding many positions in the local and national government.

The Communist Party of China, the world's largest, has ruled China since October 1949. Political analysts point out that these ideological exhortations and sometimes brutal ideological cleansings are normal in the party.

They also noted that that this housecleaning often occurs when the party is faced with intense internal political disputes or when its leaders feel China is threatened.