Jiang Zexun: Political Ability is the Foremost Ability—Deeply Understanding the Theoretical Connotation and Innovative Contribution of Political Ability
General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Among the various abilities required for cadres to perform their work well, political ability is first and foremost." This important, original, and signature concept of "political ability" adheres to the guidance of the Marxist view of politics. It fully utilizes and profoundly grasps the achievements of Marxist political theory and the laws of political practice, while inheriting and carrying forward the Chinese cultural tradition of "valuing the worthy and employing the capable" [1]. It focuses on the Party's political attributes, missions, goals, and pursuits. It breaks through the theoretical framework of modern Western competency models—which utilize "knowledge, skills, self-concept, traits, and motivation" as basic categories—by pioneering the elevation of "ability" to a political level and expanding "politics" into the category of "ability."
From the two dimensions of politics and ability, this concept achieves a high degree of unity between "political virtue" (zhèngdé) and "governance talent" (zhìcái), and between "good government" (liángzhèng) and "good governance" (shànzhì). It enriches and develops Marxist political theory and the doctrine of Party building, while innovating modern political and competency theories. It provides an entirely new point of entry, support, leverage, and objective for strengthening the Party’s political construction and improving the Party's capacity for comprehensive leadership, long-term governance, and state governance. This original and signature concept possesses political height, theoretical depth, practical breadth, and cultural thickness; it holds significant weight at both the levels of political theory and practice, as well as within the spheres of political construction and political civilization.
As socialism with Chinese characteristics enters the New Era, improving political ability has become particularly important and urgent. To persist in and strengthen the Party’s comprehensive leadership in the New Era, to resolutely uphold the Two Establishments and the Two Upholds, to fully leverage the Party's political advantages, and to consolidate the Party’s leading and governing positions, we must continuously improve the Party's political leadership. Only when the whole Party "possesses hardy political ability can it consciously maintain a high degree of alignment with the Party Central Committee in ideology, politics, and action, and remain 'unafraid of floating clouds obscuring the vision' [2] and 'calm even as chaotic clouds fly past' [3] at any time and under any circumstances." We must always adhere to the correct political direction, maintain the Party’s political character, and advance along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics to ensure that the "Red Realm" (hóngsè jiāngshān) never changes its color.
To coordinate the overall strategy of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with the world’s "unseen changes in a century," to modernize the state governance system and capacity, and to advance the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization, we must maintain political clarity and political stamina (zhèngzhì dìnglì) at all times. We must enhance our political skills and firmly grasp the "winning formula" (zhìshèng fǎbǎo) [4] for properly responding to risks, challenges, and complex situations to gain strategic initiative. This is necessary to successfully conduct the "great struggle with many new historical characteristics" and ensure the ship of the Party and state’s cause braves the wind and waves to achieve steady and long-term progress. Furthermore, implementing the General Requirements for Party Building in the New Era and the Party’s Organizational Line in the New Era, advancing the "New Great Project of Party Building," and focusing on building a high-quality cadre force capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility of national rejuvenation requires using political construction to command all aspects of Party building. We must continuously improve the political judgment, political discernment, and political execution of Party organizations at all levels and the vast number of Party members and cadres, unswervingly and comprehensively and strictly governing the Party to preserve the Party’s advanced nature and purity.
Improving political ability is an inevitable requirement for a Marxist party to "speak politics with a clear-cut stand" [5] and is an inherent need for political construction to command all aspects of Party building.
Improving quality and ability to resolve the "competence anxiety" (běnlǐng kǒnghuǎng) [6] has always been a major issue of great importance to Marxist parties. As early as 1922, while expounding on the New Economic Policy, Lenin pointed out: "We have enough, more than enough, political power... we also have enough economic means... what is needed here is 'ability,' and it is that which we lack." During the Yan'an period, Comrade Mao Zedong clearly stated: "There is a kind of panic in our ranks; it is not economic panic or political panic, but competence anxiety." To this end, Mao proposed that "the whole Party should be turned into a great school" and called for a "learning competition throughout the Party." In March 2013, in his important speech at the 80th anniversary of the Central Party School, General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "It can be foreseen that on the road ahead, difficulties, risks, and challenges from all sides will continue to appear; the key is whether we have the ability to overcome, defeat, and master them." He further stated: "Soft shoulders cannot carry heavy burdens. Whether it is starting an enterprise or overcoming difficulties, we need not only 'broad shoulders' but also 'iron shoulders'; we need not only to be politically sound but also highly capable."
As the cause of the Party and state develops, the demands on the abilities of leading cadres necessarily increase; cadres must "strengthen their shortcomings in competence and deficiencies in ability." Among the quality and abilities of leading cadres, political quality is the core competency, and political ability is the first and foremost ability. It plays a commanding and overarching role, directly determining the improvement and effectiveness of other qualities and abilities, while embodying and testing the level and results of using political construction to command all aspects of Party building.
Only with political clarity can there be conscious action; only with political firmness can one withstand tests; only by being "politically sound and highly capable" can great achievements be made. The Party's political construction is its fundamental construction. When political construction is handled well—when the political direction, stance, and general situation are grasped and political ability is improved—the Party's building gains a soul and takes root. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has made a series of original expositions centered on improving the Party's capacity for leadership, governance, and management, especially its political ability.
For instance, with a view toward strengthening the Party's comprehensive leadership and consolidating its long-term governing position, he has emphasized the modernization of state governance and the improvement of the Party’s leadership level. Focused on enhancing the political and organizational functions of Party organizations at all levels, he has stressed the continuous improvement of the Party's creativity, cohesion, and combat effectiveness, noting that "the Communist Party of China possesses incomparable leadership, organizational, and executive power." Focused on using political construction to command all aspects of Party building, while emphasizing the improvement of political sensitivity and political discernment, he has creatively proposed important concepts and major propositions such as "political skill," "political leadership skill," "political ability," "political leadership," "political judgment, political discernment, and political execution," "political self-control," "political stamina," and "political self-discipline." Together with other original concepts like "political soul," "political loyalty," "political responsibility," "political health checks," "political inspection," "political patrols," "political supervision," "political ecosystem," and "political culture," these constitute a system of theory, academia, and discourse for political construction guided by the Marxist view of politics, possessing Chinese characteristics and the traits of the Communist Party of China in the New Era.
"Speaking politics with a clear-cut stand" is the fundamental requirement for our Party as a Marxist party and the most distinctive essential feature of Chinese Communists. During the New Democratic Revolution [7], Comrade Mao Zedong continuously emphasized the Party’s absolute leadership over the army and proposed the fundamental principles of "ideological Party building" and "political army building." During the period of socialist revolution and construction, Mao emphasized that political work is the "lifeblood of all economic work." During the new period of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization, Comrade Deng Xiaoping argued on one hand that "socialist modernization is our current greatest politics," while on the other hand maintaining that "to achieve the Four Modernizations in China, we must adhere to the Four Cardinal Principles in ideology and politics."
General Secretary Xi Jinping has always attached importance to political issues and highlighted political requirements. As early as his tenure in Zhengding, he proposed that cadres must be "politically sensitive and innovative in their work." Since the 18th National Congress, he has emphasized that "political issues are fundamental issues at all times" and that cadres must "use the Marxist view of politics to compare, transform, and improve themselves." One must be adept at looking at problems from a political perspective: "To improve political ability, a very important aspect is to be adept at analyzing and solving problems politically. Only by analyzing problems politically can one see the essence; only by solving problems politically can one grasp the root."
In November 2013, during an inspection in Shandong, the General Secretary emphasized that leading cadres must focus on leading the "uphill battle" of comprehensively deepening reform by improving their "ideological and political ability," "mobilization and organizational ability," and "ability to manage complex contradictions." The introduction of the concept of "ideological and political ability" laid the foundation for the concept of "political ability." In December 2015, at a special democratic life meeting of the CPC Central Committee Political Bureau, he pointed out that one must be "adept at observing, analyzing, and solving problems politically," and that "political ability must be strong; ideological, strategic, and moral stamina must be particularly hardy to withstand the test of great winds and waves." In February 2017, he emphasized that leading cadres must focus on improving political ability so that it matches their leadership responsibilities. In October 2020, he pointed out that cadres, especially young ones, must improve "seven types of ability," the first of which is "political ability." In May 2023, he noted that to "increase wisdom through study," one must first "enhance political ability." These expositions profoundly clarify the conceptual evolution, significance, rich connotation, and practical requirements of political ability as the "first and foremost" ability.
The essence of political ability is political leadership; the key is political judgment, political discernment, and political execution; the foundation is political self-control and political stamina.
As a basic concept of political science, "politics" is the core part of the superstructure built upon a certain economic base and is the concentrated expression of the economic interests and demands of social members. Marxist political science, based on but transcending the general definition of politics, scientifically reveals the class nature of politics through the methodology of dialectical and historical materialism. It explains that politics, as the core component of the superstructure, is the concentrated expression of the class interests of social members. It scientifically answers how Communists should "look at problems politically."
General Secretary Xi Jinping has not only creatively proposed the scientific concept of "political ability" but has also systematically expounded its scientific connotations. It is a synthesis of the clear political orientation, scientific way of thinking, standards for quality and ability, and specific practical paths for Chinese Communists to "analyze and solve problems politically." Its core connotations exist at multiple levels—macro, meso, and micro—and cover both narrow and broad scopes. They encompass all levels of Party organizations and cadres and involve various angles across all fields. These connotations vary in emphasis depending on occasion, object, context, and time period, reflecting strong theoretical systematicness, realistic pertinence, and practical guidance.
For example, looking at strengthening the Party's political construction, it is emphasized that—
"Closely adhering to the hearts of the people as the greatest politics, we must focus on winning public support, reflecting public will, and pooling the wisdom and strength of the masses." Addressing the goal of "implementing the Party's political building through the cultivation of the cadre corps," he emphasized that "leading officials at all levels, especially senior officials, must continuously improve their ability to grasp directions, general trends, and the overall situation; their ability to discern political right from wrong, maintain political focus, navigate political situations, and prevent political risks." Grounded in the New Era and the new journey, adapting to changes in the world and progress in the work of the Party and the state, and responding to new challenges brought by the development of situations and tasks, he proposed enhancing "eight types of competence," including the competence for learning and political leadership. Grounded in the overall strategy of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and the world’s profound changes unseen in a century [8], he required that leading officials at all levels, especially senior officials, must keep the "top priorities of the nation" [9] in mind. They must continuously improve their political judgment, political understanding, and political implementation while raising their political capacity, strategic vision, and professional level to grasp the new stage of development, implement the new development philosophy, and construct the new development paradigm. Focusing on the prevention of political risks, he emphasized the need to develop a "political keen eye" to continuously improve political sensitivity and political discernment—observing and analyzing situations to grasp political factors, planning and promoting work to fulfill political requirements, and handling and solving problems to prevent political risks.
Political leadership is the most fundamental political capacity. It is primarily manifested in centering on upholding and strengthening the Party's comprehensive leadership and consolidating the Party's long-term governing position. This entails the capacity for political command and guidance in correctly formulating and effectively implementing the Party's political program, lines, principles, and policies, as well as strategic goals and tasks. It includes the capacity for political absorption and cohesion, the capacity to oversee the overall situation and coordinate all parties, the capacity for planning and decision-making, the capacity for scientific, democratic, and law-based governance, and the capacity for national governance. Political leadership, together with the power of ideological guidance, mass organization, and social mobilization, collectively reflects and tests the Party's political competence and governing level in exercising comprehensive leadership. To uphold and strengthen the Party's leadership, the priority is to uphold and strengthen the Party's political leadership and enhance its political leadership power. We must use strong political leadership to command and elevate the power of ideological guidance, mass organization, and social mobilization, continuously improving the Party's ability to set directions, plan for the big picture, determine policies, and promote reforms—ensuring the Party always oversees the overall situation and coordinates all parties. To enhance the Party's political leadership, the most important task is to regard upholding the authority of the Central Committee and its centralized, unified leadership as the primary task of the Party's political building. We must treat the consciousness and ability to resolutely uphold the Two Establishments and the Two Upholds as the primary political consciousness and political capacity. Meanwhile, we must look both inside and outside the Party, focus on the Great Cause [10], and remain rooted in the land of China. We must fully leverage the Party's political advantages, organizational advantages, and the advantage of close ties with the masses. We must more proactively, extensively, and effectively organize, publicize, unite, and serve the masses to lead them, gathering the broad masses of the people around the Party to jointly create the great cause of rejuvenation and realize the Great Dream.
Political judgment, political understanding, and political implementation are the most critical political capacities. In December 2020, while presiding over a democratic life meeting [11] of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly stated: "For our Party to always remain true to its original aspiration and founding mission and advance the cause of the Party and the people over the long term, we must enhance political consciousness, become adept at looking at problems from a political perspective, be skilled at grasping the overall political situation, and continuously improve political judgment, political understanding, and political implementation." This was the first time General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed and specifically explained "political judgment, political understanding, and political implementation." Since then, he has emphasized and discussed these concepts many times. This not only profoundly elucidates the core essence and internal laws of political capacity but also precisely grasps the key elements, links, and requirements for improving political capacity, providing a scientific guide for speaking politics [12] with a clear-cut stand, scientific precision, and effective force.
Political judgment is the starting point of speaking politics. Developing a "political keen eye," clearly distinguishing political right from wrong, and maintaining a firm political direction are the primary requirements for improving political capacity. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that to enhance political judgment, one must prioritize national political security, center on the people, and take the persistence and development of socialism with Chinese characteristics as the foundation. One must enhance the ability to scientifically grasp situational changes, precisely identify the essence of phenomena, soberly distinguish right from wrong in conduct, and effectively resist risks and challenges. He emphasized the need to be adept at thinking about fundamental, overall, and long-term issues involving the general situation of the Party and state work. We must strengthen strategic, systematic, and forward-looking research and planning, ensuring that on major issues and at critical junctures, our heads remain particularly clear and our eyes particularly bright. We must be adept at discovering political issues within general affairs, detecting political inklings from trending or nascent problems, and grasping political logic from complex and contradictory relationships, ensuring our political stance does not shift and our political direction does not deviate. This requires Party members and cadres to continuously improve their political foresight, sensitivity, and discernment. They must be adept at observing and analyzing problems politically, judging development trends, and distinguishing the essence of things. They must clearly discern major issues of right and wrong, grasp the general situation and trends, make precise judgments, and prevent and defuse risks, ensuring all work maintains the correct direction and creates a positive political orientation, influence, and effect.
Political understanding is the basis of speaking politics and is the key capacity for Party members and cadres to understand and implement the Party's theoretical line, principles, policies, and the spirit of the Central Committee. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that to improve political understanding, one "must engage in in-depth study and comprehensive mastery of the spirit of the Central Committee, persist in using the spirit of the Central Committee to analyze situations and promote work, and always maintain a high degree of consistency with the Central Committee." This requires Party members and cadres to keep pace with the study of the Central Committee's spirit and General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speeches, instructions, and comments. They must have a thorough understanding of the "top priorities of the nation" and the Party’s major plans, clarify and ground themselves in their own functional positioning, and always remain attentive to what the Central Committee is concerned about and emphasizing. They must be adept at grasping the intentions and requirements of the Central Committee’s decision-making and deployments from a political perspective. They must use scientific theory and the spirit of the Central Committee to analyze changes in the development of situations and tasks, planning and promoting work accordingly. They must profoundly recognize and correctly comprehend the political intent, strategic judgment, overall planning, deep considerations, and practical requirements of the Central Committee’s decisions. They must root themselves in reality, achieve comprehensive mastery, and creatively transform these into specific policies and measures for advancing work, ensuring they always maintain a high degree of consistency in thought, politics, and action with the Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core.
Political implementation is the ultimate goal of speaking politics; it is the direct manifestation and final test of political capacity. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that improving political implementation means "constantly checking and aligning oneself against the spirit of the Central Committee. We must resolutely respond to what the Central Committee advocates, resolutely execute what the Central Committee decides, and resolutely refrain from doing what the Central Committee prohibits. We must resolutely uphold the authority and centralized, unified leadership of the Central Committee, ensuring we do not fall behind or deviate, and implement the spirit of the Central Committee without compromise." This requires Party members and cadres, proceeding from the overall situation of the Party and state work and from a political standpoint, to manifest the implementation of the Central Committee’s spirit in the practice of planning major strategies, formulating major policies, deploying major tasks, and promoting major work. They must strengthen their sense of responsibility—knowing their responsibility in their hearts, bearing it on their persons, and fulfilling it through their actions. They must implement with zero compromise, with vigorous swiftness, with a spirit of seeking truth from facts, and with the courage and ability to act, ensuring that the Central Committee’s various decisions and deployments take root and achieve results.
Political judgment, political understanding, and political implementation are distinct yet interconnected; they are mutually reinforcing conditions. In the context of speaking politics, they embody the high degree of unity of the Marxist stance, viewpoint, and method. They represent the unity of "knowing, believing, and acting"—the unity of "how one sees," "how one thinks," and "how one does." They embody the unity of political consciousness, stance, thinking, capacity, and behavior, constituting a logically rigorous, dialectically unified, progressively advancing, and mutually supporting whole.
Political self-control and political focus are the most foundational political capacities. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that young cadres must "consciously strengthen political tempering, enhance political self-control, and always be 'politically sensible' [13] and 'honest people' [14]." To enhance political self-control, one must cultivate political focus, strictly abide by political discipline and political rules, and effectively achieve political self-discipline. Political focus is fundamentally manifested in political loyalty and the firmness of one's faith and conviction; it is reflected in political self-awareness, self-confidence, and self-discipline. If one is not loyal and honest to the Party, if one's faith and conviction are not settled and firm, or if one lacks political self-awareness, confidence, and discipline, then political capacity is out of the question. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that political direction is the primary issue for the Party’s survival and development, concerning the Party's future and the success or failure of its cause. To improve political capacity, one must first grasp the correct political direction, remain committed to the lofty ideal of Communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and uphold the leadership of the CPC and the socialist system of our country. We must treat education in ideals and convictions as a strategic task of ideological building, maintaining the whole Party's political focus in its pursuit of ideals, and consciously acting as firm believers and faithful practitioners of the lofty ideal of Communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics. In his speech at the Second Plenary Session of the 19th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that at all times and under all circumstances, the Party’s leading officials must be politically stable and reliable, loyal and honest to the Party, of one heart and mind with the Central Committee, and strictly abide by political discipline and political rules. They must continuously enhance their political focus, disciplinary focus, moral focus, and anti-corruption focus, transforming the "Four Consciousnesses" into practical actions of following the Party's command and fulfilling their responsibilities to the Party. By profoundly understanding these important discourses, we can more clearly recognize that achieving the Two Upholds requires both high levels of rational and emotional identification, as well as the political focus and political capacity to resolutely uphold them. Improving political capacity requires not only raising political judgment, understanding, and implementation but also enhancing political self-control, maintaining political focus, and strengthening political self-discipline—ensuring one never becomes politically muddled, never experiences an ideological slide, never loses one's way in faith, never loses one's spirit, and never wavers in conviction.
Improving political capacity should involve the simultaneous application of "theoretical nourishment," "tempering of Party spirit," "practical cultivation," "cultural refinement," and "political check-ups." It requires continuous strengthening through ideological tempering, political tempering, practical training, professional training, and long-term cultivation. The consciousness and capacity to speak politics do not come naturally or emerge out of thin air; they must be cultivated and improved through long-term tempering, training, and continuous cycles of learning, thinking, practicing, and realizing. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Capacity is not achieved once and for all, nor is it accomplished overnight; it must be continuously upgraded and expanded." The competencies and capacities of the CPC grew out of the long-term struggle to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation; they are "continuously upgraded and expanded" within great practice. The political capacity of leading officials at all levels is accumulated over time, cultivated by persisting over the long term, forged through roots in practice, and refined through the influence of culture. Every level of the Party organization and every single Party member and cadre should exert effort in the same direction and at the same time—dredging the source to nourish the forest, cultivating the essence to strengthen the foundation—continuously forging political "pure steel" and "high-quality steel."
Casting the soul and strengthening the foundation through "theoretical nourishment": improving political capacity through deep study and comprehension of the Party's innovative theories. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Studying theory is, in fact, a form of political and historical responsibility." Whether it is enhancing political judgment, political comprehension, and political execution, or strengthening political self-restraint and maintaining political focus, the bedrock lies in strengthening the study of political theory. One must master the "telescope and microscope" of the basic principles of Marxism to absorb political nutrients, firm up political convictions, increase political identification, elevate one's political standing, clarify one's political direction, enhance political awareness, and strengthen political consciousness. General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "One must understand, internalize, and apply the Party’s innovative theories, master the Marxist stance, viewpoints, and methods, and consolidate the ideological foundation for daring to struggle and being skilled at struggle [15]. Only with theoretical clarity can there be political steadfastness, and only then can there be the confidence and strength to struggle." As contemporary Chinese Marxism and 21st-century Marxism, Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era centrally embodies our Party's political will, stance, and propositions; it is a powerful ideological weapon guiding us in transforming both the subjective and objective worlds and in observing, analyzing, and handling issues from a political perspective.
To improve political capacity, we must unswervingly use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to resolve minds and cast the soul, profoundly grasping the political significance, considerations, and requirements of this important thought. We must further firm up political faith, draw political strength, and improve political literacy. We must establish a Marxist outlook on politics, practice, the masses, class, development, and contradictions, as well as a correct worldview, outlook on life, and values—alongside correct views on power, career, performance [16], status, and interests. We must earnestly ensure that study casts the soul, cultivates virtue, increases wisdom, and empowers capability. Through the integration of study, thought, and application, and the unity of knowledge, belief, and action, we must profoundly understand the Party's nature, purpose, ideals, convictions, programs, lines, principles, and policies. We must firm up our faith in Marxism, our conviction in socialism with Chinese characteristics, and our confidence in the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. We must continuously enhance our political, ideological, theoretical, and emotional identification with the Party's innovative theories, ensuring political and organizational unity through a high degree of ideological unity, and comprehensively upgrading political, leadership, and work capacities that are compatible with advancing Chinese-path modernization.
Lay the groundwork through "tempering Party spirit": improving political capacity through strict cultivation of Party spirit and serious intra-Party political life. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The most fundamental aspect of speaking politics is speaking Party spirit [17]," and emphasized that "all comrades of the Party, especially senior officials, must strengthen the tempering of their Party spirit, continuously improving their political awareness and political capacity, and taking loyalty to the Party, sharing the Party's concerns, fulfilling duties for the Party, and benefiting the people as their fundamental political responsibility, thereby preserving the political character of Communists." The cultivation of Party spirit is the "ballast stone" of political capacity, and intra-Party political life is the "great furnace" for tempering Party spirit; it is the basic path and important platform for elevating political capacity. Only when Party spirit is strong will the awareness and capacity for speaking politics have a foundation; only when the "furnace fire" burns bright can we forge tempered political qualities and skills.
To improve political capacity, we must normalize education on Party spirit, Party history, and Party discipline. We must strengthen and standardize intra-Party political life, strictly implement the Guidelines on Several Aspects of Intra-Party Political Life Under New Circumstances, and seriously conduct "democratic life meetings" and "organizational life meetings." We must improve the quality of the "Three Meetings and One Lesson [18]," implement systems for heart-to-heart talks, democratic appraisal of Party members, and "Theme Party Days." We must persist in and refine political rituals such as renewing the admission oath and celebrating "political birthdays" for Party members. We must improve and implement all systems of democratic centralism and make full use of the sharp weapon of criticism and self-criticism to conduct active and healthy ideological struggle. This ensures that intra-Party life is solemn, serious, and standardized, reflecting its political, contemporary, principled, and combative nature, while resolutely preventing and overcoming tendencies toward unprincipled, tepid, vulgarized, or localized intra-Party political life. This aims to achieve the goals of "blushing and sweating," "detoxifying and curing the illness," "supplementing calcium and strengthening the bones," and "increasing wisdom and empowering capability [19]."
Sharpening the blade through "practical cultivation": improving political capacity through strict and solid political training, experience, and practical exercise. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Improving political focus and political capacity depends on study, but even more so on political experience and practical exercise." To be a "politically clear-headed person" with strong political capacity, Party members and leading officials must strengthen their political experience and accumulate political wisdom. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "A knife is sharpened on a stone; a person is tempered through affairs. It is difficult to become a great talent without weathering the wind and rain or seeing the world." Practice is the touchstone for testing political capacity and the training ground for improving it. Major tasks and the front lines of struggle are the primary battlefields for examining and honing political capacity. Only by taking the initiative to weather the wind and rain, see the world, and strengthen one's resolve in the practice of completing urgent, difficult, dangerous, and heavy tasks—and by strengthening political experience and training through the "live combat" of real steel and real fire—can one be tempered into steel and sharpened into a blade, truly developing the "sturdy spine, iron shoulders, and real skill" required for political responsibility.
General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "For a long time, our Party has had a glorious tradition and fine style of work: doing whatever the Party asks and going wherever the Party sends us, making a home wherever the cause is, without a second word or a hint of complaint." Party members and officials must treat the "burning furnace" of practice as the largest stage and best curriculum for improving political capacity. They should strengthen political experience and professional training while implementing the Party Central Committee's decisions, responding to major struggles and emergencies, and completing urgent, difficult, dangerous, and heavy tasks. They must grasp the correct political direction, guard against political risks, carry forward the spirit of struggle, and enhance their struggle capabilities, continuously improving their capacity to achieve the "Two Upholds." Ultimately, improving political capacity means improving the ability to serve the people and promote the development of the cause. We must focus on comprehending and articulating the "greatest politics"—the will of the people and their livelihoods—through close ties with and sincere service to the masses. We must comprehend and practice the "greatest politics" of advancing Chinese-path modernization through our professional dedication. We must continuously improve our thinking, practical, leadership, professional, and performance capacities to recognize and handle problems from a political and global perspective. We must have the courage and responsibility to face the hardships of "climbing mountains, breaking through passes, and crossing dangerous shoals," actively volunteering for major, difficult, and urgent matters. We must take the initiative to go to the front lines of major struggle, being willing to carry the heaviest burdens, gnaw on the hardest bones, and handle the "hot potatoes" in the work of reform, development, and stability. We must be brave enough to confront difficulties head-on in comprehensively and strictly governing the Party and remain resolute in defending national core interests, thereby making our political experience and wisdom richer, our political skills stronger, and our political confidence more sufficient.
Cultivating the source through "cultural enrichment": improving political capacity by developing an active and healthy intra-Party political culture and fostering a clean and upright political ecosystem. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Political culture is the soul of political life and exerts a subtle, long-term influence on the political ecosystem." Since ancient times, China has possessed fine political traditions such as "The Way harmonizes politics," "promoting the Way to cultivate uprightness," and "observing humanistic patterns to transform the world [20]." Politics and culture are deeply integrated and mutually influential. Fine traditional Chinese culture, revolutionary culture, advanced socialist culture, and active, healthy intra-Party political culture—along with a clean and upright political ecosystem—are the sunlight, dew, air, soil, and living source that moisten and nourish political capacity. For instance, among the elements of political culture: political ideals determine political height; political faith determines political strength; political emotion determines political warmth; political character determines political purity; political integrity determines political longevity; political will determines political resilience; and political values determine the degree of political advancement. Together, they play a foundational and life-sustaining role in purifying the political ecosystem and cultivating political capacity.
To improve political capacity, we must persist in the "Two Combinations," strengthen cultural confidence, and intensify the construction of intra-Party political culture. We must focus on drawing political wisdom and ethical nutrients from fine traditional Chinese culture; inherit "red genes," draw spiritual strength, cultivate deep feelings for the people, and temper political character from revolutionary culture, advanced socialist culture, and intra-Party political culture. We must promote values such as loyalty, honesty, impartiality, uprightness, seeking truth from facts, and clean governance. We must ensure that the political convictions, concepts, values, and spirit advocated by the Party deeply penetrate the minds and hearts of Party members and officials, becoming the profound heritage and internal support of their political capacity.
Guard the base through "political check-ups": improving political capacity by deepening political inspections, strengthening political supervision, substantiating political evaluations, and enforcing strict political discipline. Enhancing political self-restraint and maintaining political focus to ensure that one's politics does not "rust, fade, deteriorate, or lose its flavor" is the baseline requirement for improving political capacity. To this end, we must maintain political purity and health through precise, effective, and normalized "political check-ups." Deepening political inspections, strengthening political supervision, substantiating political evaluations, and enforcing strict political discipline are not only important measures and inevitable requirements for advancing the Party's self-revolution and strengthening the Party's political building but also necessary means and effective methods for conducting political check-ups.
To improve political capacity, we must deepen political inspections, strengthen political supervision, substantiate political evaluations, and enforce strict political discipline. We must urge Party organizations at all levels and the broad ranks of Party members and officials to persist in the Party’s overall leadership at the "political height"; to grasp Party building tightly, strongly, and well as a "political requirement"; to focus on and deeply advance comprehensively and strictly governing the Party as a "political positioning"; and to highlight political standards and political Gatekeeping in "selecting and appointing personnel." We must take the achievement of the "Two Upholds" as the fundamental task of the "political check-up," focusing on supervising and inspecting the implementation of the Party's theories, lines, principles, and policies, the major decisions of the Party Central Committee, and the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions and comments. We must strengthen the supervision and inspection of the study, observance, and implementation of the Party Constitution, regulations, and discipline—especially the strict observance of the Party's political discipline and political rules—and reinforce political supervision to guarantee the implementation of systems, thereby enhancing the political consciousness of the "Two Upholds." General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must persist in putting political standards first, conducting deep and solid evaluations of officials' political quality, and highlighting the gates of politics and integrity." In selecting and appointing personnel, we must perform political check-ups well, strengthening political gatekeeping and the evaluation of political quality. We must maintain political sensitivity and political discernment at all times, identifying and removing "two-faced persons" [21] in a timely manner to ensure the security of the Party's governance.
(The author is the Executive Vice President of the China Yan'an Executive Leadership Academy) Source: People's Daily (October 27, 2025) Web Editor: Huihui