Zhang Qi and Jiang Yingchun: A Study of Xi Jinping's Important Expositions on Establishing and Practicing a Correct View of Political Achievements

The view of performance achievements directly reflects the value orientation of officials in their political careers and serves as the ideological foundation upon which they create such achievements. Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that the broad masses of Party members and officials must establish a correct view of performance achievements in their work and entrepreneurship, providing a series of important expositions centered on questions such as "for whom are achievements created, what kind of achievements should be created, and by what means are they created?" These important expositions possess profound connotations, pointing out the correct direction for Chinese Communists to establish and practice a correct view of performance achievements, and serving as an essential guide for their work and endeavors.

I. The Necessity of Establishing and Practicing a Correct View of Performance Achievements

Since the 18th National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has united and led the whole Party and the people of all ethnic groups in carrying out the Great Struggle, building the Great Project, advancing the Great Cause, and realizing the Great Dream ^[1]. This has pushed the cause of the Party and the state to achieve historical success and undergo historical changes. Socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a New Era, major strategic results have been achieved in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country has begun, and our country has entered a new stage of development. Advancing in the New Era and marching toward the new journey necessitates even more the strengthening of the responsibility and commitment of Chinese Communists, as well as the establishment and practice of a correct view of performance achievements.

First, establishing and practicing a correct view of performance achievements is an inevitable requirement for advancing the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party and strengthening the building of the CPC’s long-term governing capacity. The core of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party is strengthening the Party’s leadership. The broad masses of Party members and officials are the key subjects for implementing the responsibility of comprehensive and strict Party governance and strengthening the Party’s overall leadership. Only by guiding officials to establish and practice a correct view of performance achievements, encouraging them to firm up their political direction, maintain political resolve, and better carry out their work, can we fully exert the leading and safeguarding role of comprehensive and strict Party governance over all undertakings. In particular, regarding the prominent problems of formalism and bureaucratism within the Party caused by a misplaced view of performance and a lack of responsibility, failure to correct these will affect the flesh-and-blood ties between the Party and the masses, and subsequently affect the foundation and roots of the Party's long-term governance.

Only by guiding Party members and officials at all levels to establish and practice a correct view of performance achievements, resolutely removing all factors that weaken the Party's advanced nature and damage its purity, resolutely excise all "malignant tumors" growing on the Party's organism, and guarding against all factors that shake the Party's foundation, can we enable the Party to withstand the "Four Tests" and overcome the "Four Dangers" ^[2], thereby putting the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party into practice and continuously strengthening the Party's long-term governing capacity. Furthermore, doing a good job in Party building itself is an important aspect of a correct view of performance achievements; we must firmly grasp Party building as the greatest achievement.

As Xi Jinping emphasized in his speech at the summary meeting of the Party’s Mass Line Education and Practice Activities: "The Party committees (Party leadership groups) of all levels and departments must establish a correct view of performance achievements, persist in viewing issues from the overall perspective of consolidating the Party's governing status, and regard doing a good job in Party building as the greatest achievement. If our Party becomes weak, fragmented, or collapses, what significance would other performance achievements have?" Continuously advancing the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party toward greater depth places higher requirements on leading officials at all levels to establish and practice a correct view of performance achievements.

Second, establishing and practicing a correct view of performance achievements is an inevitable requirement for advancing the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity, and for promoting the transformation of our country’s institutional advantages into state governance efficacy. Persisting in and improving the system of socialism with Chinese characteristics and advancing the modernization of the state governance system and governance capacity is a major strategic task for the whole Party. Completing this task requires continuously improving the capacity of the broad masses of officials to use the power of systems and laws to govern the country and respond to risks, challenges, and shocks. Xi Jinping emphasized: "Improving governance capacity should be treated as a major task in the building of the official ranks in the New Era, guiding the broad masses of officials to improve their ability to work and start businesses using systems, and strictly fulfilling duties, exercising power, and carrying out work in accordance with the system." The key lies in persisting in seeking truth from facts, proceeding from reality in all matters based on respecting objective laws, and doing the work of reform, development, and stability well and solidly according to the system.

This requires Party committees and governments at all levels, as well as leading officials, to firmly establish and practice a correct view of performance achievements, effectively strengthen their awareness of the system, take the lead in maintaining the authority of the system, and set an example in institutional implementation. Only by practicing a correct view of performance and acting according to the system can we ensure that the broad masses of Party members and officials implement the various decisions and work arrangements of the CPC Central Committee without distortion or deformation, stimulate the enthusiasm and initiative of officials, put the decisions and work of the Party and the state into practice, and effectively promote the transformation of our country's institutional advantages into state governance efficacy.

Finally, establishing and practicing a correct view of performance achievements is an inevitable requirement for smoothly starting the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country, and for being adept at nurturing opportunities in crises and opening new prospects amid changes. Starting the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country and marching toward the Second Centenary Goal ^[3] marks our country’s entry into a new stage of development. Currently, China’s development is still in an important period of strategic opportunity, but both opportunities and challenges have undergone new developments and changes. The world today is experiencing Great Changes Unseen in a Century; to implement the New Development Philosophy, promote high-quality development, and solidly advance the process of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, we must be adept at nurturing opportunities in crises and opening new prospects amid changes. Only by continuously guiding officials to establish and practice a correct view of performance achievements can we turn pressure into motivation and be skilled at transforming crises into opportunities.

"The closer we get to national rejuvenation, the less smooth the road will be, and the more it will be filled with risks, challenges, and even tempestuous waves." The current and upcoming periods are times when various contradictions and risks in our country are prone to occur, and the various foreseeable and unpredictable risk factors have significantly increased, making it even more necessary to emphasize adherence to a correct view of performance achievements. Xi Jinping emphasized, "We must carry the responsibility on our shoulders and be prepared at all times to respond to major challenges, resist major risks, overcome major obstacles, and solve major contradictions." Only by guiding officials to establish and practice a correct view of performance, working with genuine effort and daring to take responsibility, can we ensure the smooth advancement of the new journey of comprehensively building a modern socialist country.

II. The Distinctive Content of the Chinese Communists' Correct View of Performance Achievements

Xi Jinping's important expositions on establishing and practicing a correct view of performance achievements have corrected the partial understanding of some leading officials, emphasizing the need to work for the people, bring benefits to the people, seek truth from facts, and strive for practical results. This has formed a distinctive content regarding the Chinese Communists' correct view of performance.

First, it highlights and emphasizes that the most important performance achievement for Chinese Communists is working for the people and bringing them benefits. The fundamental purpose of the CPC is to serve the people heart and soul, and the people's aspiration for a better life is the goal for which Chinese Communists strive. Xi Jinping pointed out: "Our Party has no special interests of its own; at all times, the Party puts the interests of the masses first. This is the prominent hallmark that distinguishes our Party, as a Marxist party, from other political parties." The foundation and lifeblood of the CPC lie in the people; the Party must think and work together with the masses. Formalism and bureaucratism are the great enemies of our Party and the people; overcoming them is an important manifestation and basic requirement for maintaining the flesh-and-blood ties with the masses.

During his inspection tour in Shanxi in 2020, Xi Jinping pointed out: "The CPC regards working for and benefiting the people as the most important performance achievement, and takes how many good and practical things have been done for the common people as the important standard for testing performance." Emphasizing that the most important achievement is benefiting the people means emphasizing the implementation of the people-centered development philosophy in the Party's practice of state governance, continuously meeting the people's needs for a better life, and promoting common prosperity for all.

Xi Jinping also specifically explained the connotation of the view of performance regarding working for and benefiting the people: "We must regard benefiting the people as the most important performance achievement. Our promotion of economic and social development is, in the final analysis, to continuously meet the people's needs for a better life. We must always keep the people's living and working in peace, as well as their safety and well-being, in our hearts," and "strive to let the masses see changes and receive tangible benefits."

Chinese Communists clearly recognize that the people are the Party's greatest source of confidence in governing. Therefore, we must respond to the expectations of the masses with visible changes, measure the performance of officials by the practical results of solving the people's worries and difficulties, and implement the standard of "working for and benefiting the people" in all work, achieving the goal of "liking what the people like and loathing what the people loathe" ^[4]. Xi Jinping emphasizes upholding the principle of "people first," continuously benefiting the people, and integrating the people-centered development philosophy into every link of economic and social development. This ensures that all people share the fruits of development in economic, political, cultural, social, and ecological civilization fields, comprehensively protects the legal rights and interests of the people, promotes overall social progress and all-around human development, and effectively enhances the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security.

Second, it emphasizes that the Chinese Communists' correct view of performance is a comprehensive one, not a partial or singular one. Xi Jinping emphasized, "Performance should ultimately be viewed through comprehensive indicators and the degree to which overall requirements are realized." The performance of Chinese Communists is not just an economic development report card; it cannot simply "judge heroes by the GDP growth rate." Rather, it should be a report card that comprehensively reflects the development of all undertakings, focusing on solving practical problems of the masses’ concern, such as employment, education, social security, medical care, housing, elderly care, food safety, and public order. Examining the performance of officials must focus on comprehensiveness, "looking at both development and the foundation, both 'manifest' achievements and 'latent' achievements ^[5], and taking indicators and results such as the improvement of people's livelihoods, social progress, and ecological benefits as important assessment content."

For example, ecological and environmental issues were a prominent "short board" ^[6] in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects. Incidents such as the illegal villa construction in the Qinling Mountains ^[7] reflected the contempt and indifference toward ecological civilization construction in the performance views of some officials, the deep-seated reason being the influence of a partial view of performance. Xi Jinping attaches great importance to ecological civilization construction; during his inspections of Yunnan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Guizhou, and other places, he paid particular attention to the responsibility and actions of Party members and officials in this field. During the 2020 Two Sessions, he proposed that "ecological environmental protection is a centennial plan for benefiting the people," and achievements in the field of ecological civilization are also an important content of the Chinese Communists' correct view of performance.

Xi Jinping also particularly emphasized the importance of protecting cultural relics and historic sites. He clearly put forward the viewpoint that "protecting cultural relics is also a performance achievement," requiring Party committees and governments at all levels to increase their reverence for historical relics and to coordinate relic protection with economic and social development. Thus, the correct view of performance for Chinese Communists is comprehensive: developing the economy is a performance achievement, and promoting ecological protection and construction is also one; doing a good job in political building is an achievement, and promoting cultural construction or solving livelihood issues are also achievements. Any developmental success that can withstand the test of the masses, practice, and history is an inherent part of the Chinese Communists' correct view of performance.

Third, it emphasizes that the Chinese Communists' correct view of performance is one of seeking truth from facts and striving for practical results. First, a correct view of performance is one that respects reality and seeks truth from facts. Since actual conditions vary from place to place, the requirements and focus for creating achievements should also differ. Xi Jinping requires leading officials to use the method of investigation and research to correctly understand local conditions, apply objective laws, solve prominent problems, and establish a record of "serving for one term and benefiting one area." He emphasized that investigation and research should not only look at the good things but also go to places with many difficulties and problems. He pointed out: "Local officials sometimes have some concerns, fearing that if we see those bad things, it will create a negative impression. This involves a question of the view of performance." Seeing problems and thoroughly understanding the situation is conducive both to helping officials solve difficulties encountered in practical work and to helping leading officials at all levels proceed from reality, adopt measures suited to the characteristics of different regions, and grasp the most important local performance achievements.

Furthermore, a correct view of performance is one of the unity of knowledge and action and the pursuit of practical results. A correct view of performance requires officials to unify knowledge and action, stay grounded, work with genuine effort, and ensure implementation. Xi Jinping has continuously emphasized: "Whether one can unify knowledge and action reflects a leading official’s ideological style and view of performance; a disconnection between knowledge and action is inevitably driven by formalism and bureaucratism." Establishing a correct view of performance in work and entrepreneurship means resolutely resisting formalism and bureaucratism, persisting in not seeking vanity, not performing empty work, and not chasing false fame. All work must be done solidly and achieve practical results, without being over-ambitious or detached from reality.

Furthermore, a correct outlook on performance is one that properly handles the relationship between "conspicuous achievement" ^[8] and "hidden achievement" ^[9]. Xi Jinping has emphasized that the broad ranks of cadres must possess the spiritual realm of "success does not have to be mine" and the historical responsibility of "I must contribute to success." They should "perform practical deeds that are visible and tangible to the common people and yield real benefits, but also do good work that paves the way, lays the foundation, and benefits the long term. They must pursue both conspicuous and hidden achievements, disregard personal fame and fortune, and strive for the good reputation of the masses and the true evaluation that remains after historical deposition." Specifically, on the one hand, cadres must not pursue quick success and instant benefits in their careers; they must overcome impetuosity, cast aside selfish thoughts, carry forward the "spirit of driving the nail" ^[10], resolve every matter of concern to the masses, and persist over the long term. On the other hand, in practical work, they must resolve both overt and covert problems, addressing both surface-level and deep-seated issues to produce achievements that bring genuine benefits to the masses.

III. Practical Requirements for Practicing a Correct Outlook on Performance

To uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics in the New Era, we must focus on resolving the underlying ideological issues behind the misalignment of performance outlooks. We must carry forward the spirit of struggle, enhance struggle skills, improve institutional guarantees, and form long-term mechanisms to continuously guide Party members and cadres in practicing a correct outlook on performance, thereby promoting the development of our cause.

First, we must improve ideological understanding and strengthen Party spirit cultivation. Problems such as formalism and other misalignments of the performance outlook are rooted in a deviation from Party spirit and the loss of the Party's purpose. To break through these problems from their ideological source, we must establish correct ideological understanding, secure the "master switch" ^[11] of one's worldview, outlook on life, and values, and educate cadres to implement a correct performance outlook in their actions. Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must educate and guide cadres to think clearly from the very beginning about why they are becoming cadres and what they should do in their positions, so they take the first step of their political careers correctly." By deeply carrying out education on the Party's fine traditions and conduct, we can build a solid ideological line of defense and thoroughly rectify misaligned performance outlooks such as formalism and bureaucratism.

Furthermore, we must raise our political stance and take a clear-cut political stand. The main manifestation of formalism is substituting implementation with form and masking contradictions with a polished exterior; the fundamental reason for this is a failure to emphasize politics. Xi Jinping noted: "The most fundamental aspect of emphasizing politics is emphasizing Party spirit." Enhancing Party spirit is not about shouting empty slogans; most importantly, it involves upholding the authority of the Party Central Committee, executing its lines and policies, implementing its decisions and deployments, and strictly observing the Party's political rules and discipline in practice. As Xi Jinping emphasized: "Only by standing at a political height can one more thoroughly grasp the major policies and deployments of the Party Central Committee and work with greater foresight and initiative." We must guide cadres to continuously improve their political judgment, political understanding, and political execution, take a clear-cut political stand, and implement a correct performance outlook in their actions to solidly promote work progress.

Moreover, we must strengthen the awareness of our purpose and guide cadres to uphold the principle of "the people first" and implement the standpoint of the people. We must guide cadres at all levels to deeply recognize the consistency between struggling for sublime ideals and seeking the interests of the broadest masses, and the consistency between completing the Party's various tasks and realizing the people's interests. They should think and work together with the masses, always bearing in mind the fundamental purpose of "serving the people heart and soul," and deepening the understanding that making life happy for the people is the "top priority of the state" ^[12]. We must take the well-being of the people as the starting point and ultimate goal of performance, and "never engage in 'image projects' or 'vanity projects' ^[13] that are flashy but impractical and wasteful of labor and money just to build a personal image."

Second, we must carry forward the spirit of struggle and enhance struggle skills. Xi Jinping pointed out three manifestations of some cadres losing their spirit of struggle and fearing responsibility: first, acting only as "peace-time officials" ^[14] or "men of no principles" ^[15], fearing to take responsibility, waiting for instructions from above for everything, or even dragging their feet when policies are clear; second, working perfunctorily with a superficial style, failing to be meticulous or practical, and still engaging in formalism and bureaucratism; third, acting as "mud Buddhas in a temple" ^[16], shirking responsibility and even fleeing when faced with risks and challenges. These are all caused by insufficient preparation for struggle, resulting in a misaligned performance outlook and a lack of responsibility.

To firmly establish a correct outlook on performance, we must address the issue of some cadres failing to take responsibility or "shaking with fever" ^[17] when encountering struggle. We must guide them to carry forward the spirit of struggle with the realm of "success does not have to be mine but I must contribute to it," resolutely correcting the phenomena of being unwilling or unable to take responsibility. On one hand, carrying forward the spirit of struggle requires a clear direction. Xi Jinping emphasized: "The struggle we speak of is not struggle for struggle's sake, nor is it for personal gain, but for the realization of the people's yearning for a better life, the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, taking on heavy burdens, working hard, and overcoming difficulties." Therefore, cadres must focus on risks and challenges that harm the fundamental interests of the masses or hinder the "Two Centenary Goals" ^[18], maintaining a clear head and firm stance.

On the other hand, the spirit of struggle must culminate in the enhancement of struggle skills, ensuring that it is not mere empty talk. We must maintain strategic resolve, honing the ability to take responsibility and bring benefits to the people within the practice of national governance. At the same time, we must identify the primary contradictions and key nodes of struggle, maintaining flexibility in methods to ensure the struggle achieves practical results.

Third, we must improve institutional guarantees and deepen implementation mechanisms. We must refine the system for cadre evaluation and appointment to form a long-term mechanism that ensures the correct performance outlook is truly implemented. Xi Jinping emphasized that through clear institutional orientation, we should "extricate cadres from the shackles and 'routines' of formalism and bureaucratism, and cultivate a new atmosphere of seeking truth, being pragmatic, and maintaining integrity." First, we must improve mechanisms for selection, appointment, and supervision, paying particular attention to the orientation of these processes. We must use "what the cadre has done, how much they have done, and whether the organization and the masses recognize their work" as the fundamental basis for selection. We must appoint cadres who are "bold in taking responsibility, courageous in their actions, and outstanding in their actual achievements," while making it clear that performance based on formalism and bureaucratism does not count, and cadres with weak political awareness or poor conduct will not be chosen.

Furthermore, we must establish a scientific and standardized cadre evaluation mechanism. This is the institutional guarantee for practicing a correct performance outlook. Evaluations should not simply focus on numerical indicators but should emphasize how many ideas cadres have generated, how many policies they have implemented, and what practical results they have achieved for the people. Evaluations should look at details, emphasize the reputation of the cadre among the masses, and be based on actual effort and effectiveness. We must implement a system of responsibility and accountability, ensuring that cadres can be demoted as well as promoted, leaving "image projects" nowhere to hide.

Finally, we must establish and improve incentive mechanisms for cadres to take responsibility. Whether one dares to take on matters, is willing to work, and can achieve results should be the important standards for identifying cadres and determining rewards or promotions. Xi Jinping emphasized: "Form an effective mechanism to encourage cadres to seek truth and be pragmatic, so that those who focus on reality, tell the truth, do practical things, and seek real results not only do not lose out but are encouraged, praised, and heavily used." We must focus on changing "reverse incentives" where doing more leads to more trouble, while optimizing positive incentives to mobilize the initiative and creativity of cadres. This will guide them to truly start from the development of the cause of the Party and the people and the realization of the people's interests, ensuring they truly work, are capable of working, and achieve success.