Zhang Yan: Adhering to High-Quality Development Is an Important Aspect of a Correct View of Performance Achievements
High-quality development is the primary task in the comprehensive buildup of a modern socialist country. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized that "insisting on high-quality development must become an important component of the outlook on performance for leading officials." Consciously producing achievements for the people through practical work and guiding high-quality development with a correct outlook on performance are key moves to ensure that various strategic deployments during the 15th Five-Year Plan period are implemented and achieve real results; furthermore, they provide guidance and safeguards for advancing Chinese-path modernization.
1. Why high-quality development must be guided by a correct outlook on performance
Promoting high-quality development is the theme of economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year Plan period and even longer. Whether the outlook on performance held by leading officials is correct or not directly affects the substance and sustainability of high-quality development.
A correct outlook on performance is the "ideological magic weapon" [1] for promoting high-quality development. Currently, China's economy has transitioned from a stage of high-speed growth to a stage of high-quality development. As a component of social consciousness, the outlook on performance must be further adjusted and upgraded in tandem with developmental changes. An erroneous outlook on performance is a chronic ailment that damages the Party's image and delays the development of the cause; it is a "stumbling block" to implementing the decision-making deployments of the Party Central Committee and promoting high-quality development. If leading officials do not align their outlook on performance correctly, they will become displaced and biased when making decisions, grasping development, and promoting reform. Establishing a correct outlook on performance—one that takes high-quality development as an essential component—is key to ensuring the New Development Philosophy [2] takes root. It can lead officials to transcend the limitations of singular growth and immediate interests, seeking development on the basis of realistic conditions, and promoting the transformation of quality, efficiency, and momentum. This ensures that the high-quality development of the 15th Five-Year Plan and beyond has more substance and a brighter core.
A correct outlook on performance is the action guide for promoting high-quality development. Public resources are scarce during the development process; therefore, a tilt in the focus of decision-making toward different fields will inevitably lead to different results. Only under the guidance of a correct outlook on performance—strictly refraining from seeking quick success and instant benefits [3], opposing the tendency to pick the easy tasks while avoiding the hard ones, and emphasizing foundations, people's livelihoods, and the long term—can the foundation of high-quality development be fortified. At the same time, differences in the outlook on performance determine preferences in the selection of policy tools. A correct outlook on performance emphasizes grounding actions in reality and making steady progress, consciously acting according to the laws of nature, society, and economics. it focuses on "institutional supply-side" and "environment-creating" tools such as deepening reform and optimizing services to adapt to changes in the new stage of development. Conversely, an erroneous outlook on performance often relies excessively on administrative orders, short-term subsidies, and other means, which easily foster the "Four Winds" of formalism and bureaucratism, disturb market signals, overdraw development potential, and seriously erode the foundation of high-quality development.
A correct outlook on performance is the value yardstick for testing the New Development Philosophy. A correct outlook on performance is embedded with a scientific and systematic evaluation system that defines what constitutes "good" development and "solid" performance. By measuring the speed, quality, and sustainability of economic growth through a correct outlook on performance, we pay attention not only to the highlights of urban construction but also to the integrated coordination of rural revitalization and regional balance; we calculate not only the thickness of material accumulation but also evaluate the degree of spiritual enrichment and social harmony. If the outlook on performance is simplified into a "statistics-based outlook" or a "vanity project outlook," it will ignore aspects such as well-rounded human development and overall social progress, leading to a deviation in the development path. Furthermore, a correct outlook on performance weighs the "overall ledger" and the "long-term ledger" of development, comprehensively accounting for a project's resource consumption, ecological impact, social costs, and long-term opportunities. Decisions driven by a partial outlook on performance often count only explicit merits while ignoring implicit faults, and calculate only immediate gains while ignoring future costs. This allows projects that overdraw potential and damage overall welfare to create a "Gresham's law" effect [4], violating the principles of high-quality development.
2. New requirements for guiding high-quality development with a correct outlook on performance
A correct outlook on performance is the unity of conformity to objective laws and conformity to subjective goals; it reflects the value standpoint and working methods for promoting high-quality development. New requirements for practicing a correct outlook on performance must be clarified among leading officials.
Executing "inner-lining projects." General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "Do more practical and good deeds that benefit the people, and put an end to putting on an act, engaging in 'fancy flowery shelves' [5], and blindly expanding the scale of projects." The elevation and improvement of an image are intuitive reflections of developmental success. However, once detached from reality, engaging in showmanship, or being obsessed with "bigness," a preoccupation with "visual performance" will fall into the trap of formalism. The fundamental distinction between a "face project" [6] and an "inner-lining project" lies in whether the starting point is serving individual promotion or the needs of the masses. One must never mistake "putting on a show" for "doing work" or "creating momentum" for "achieving success." Inner-lining projects are more implicit foundational tasks that directly address the "pain points," "difficulties," and "bottlenecks" of the masses—such as solving the employment problems of "gig workers," planning urban utility tunnels, and installing elevators in old residential communities. Such intensive development represents a more profound form of progress and constitutes a reverence for and adherence to the laws of development and promises made to the people.
Identifying the path of practical work. Political achievements are achieved through action; this requires both "hard work" and "smart work." Among these, hard work emphasizes attitude and resilience—it is the spirit of responsibility, the sense of dedication, and going all out at the execution level. Smart work focuses on methods and wisdom, pursuing efficiency and innovation, and emphasizing the study of laws and the application of technology. Whether it is "hard work" to overcome difficulties or "smart work" to seize opportunities, both are the "practical" postures necessary for entrepreneurial spirit. Practicing a correct outlook on performance involves precise control over the rhythm of work, adhering to the principle of "applying practical effort and seeking practical results." Strategically, one must maintain the enthusiasm of "wanting to do things," and tactically, one must master the methods of "knowing how to do things." When facing complex issues that require deep cultivation, one should demonstrate a "day and night" [7] spirit, maintain a fighting posture of hard and practical work, clarify the actual situation and essence through investigation and research, sink roots into the post, and tackle tough problems. For repetitive and standardized work, one should nurture a scientific mindset of working smartly and skillfully, target the crux of the problem, and improve efficiency through institutional innovation and technological empowerment.
Emphasizing the "baton relay" of inheritance. Grasping the "present moment" is an inherent duty of officials in performing their roles, manifesting a responsibility to face problems head-on and a style of pragmatic action. Doing every current task well is the foundation for achieving high-quality development. However, emphasizing the "present" does not mean being short-sighted; one cannot be obsessed with pursuing "short, smooth, and fast" projects, or even exchange immediate, visible results at the cost of overdrawing resources, sacrificing the ecology, or leaving behind hidden dangers. Conversely, if one talks idly about a "long-term blueprint" while evading current responsibilities—acting slowly or being passive and slack toward urgent livelihood issues—such a "long term" loses its realistic basis. Therefore, basing oneself on the present without being trapped by it, and planning for the long term without lapsing into empty fantasy—ensuring that "what is done now" becomes "what the future relies on" and moving from a "term-of-office mindset" toward "historical patience"—is the proper way to view performance. Do not crave momentary merit or seek immediate fame; do more of the things that lay foundations, benefit the long term, and favor the people's livelihood, thereby accumulating stamina for high-quality development. Adhere to the principle of "drawing a single blueprint to the end"; both look up to plan the long-term blueprint and look down to do the practical work at hand. Carry the torch from one term to the next, calculating not only the "economic ledger," "reform ledger," and "immediate ledger," but also the "ecological ledger," "livelihood ledger," and "long-term ledger," using the current "hardship index" of officials to exchange for the "happiness index" of the masses and the "potential index" of development.
Upholding bottom-line thinking. Development is the top priority, but pursuing development must have boundaries and bottom lines; it must not deviate from reality. If one blindly pursues project expansion while losing bottom-line thinking, or blindly follows the trend of innovation while deviating from the laws of development—ignoring potential safety hazards in production, financial stability, and ecological protection—it may lead to a situation where "the immediate scenery is momentarily new, but everything fails because the foundation is unstable," causing hard-won development achievements to vanish. Therefore, development cannot be grasped solely by "slamming on the accelerator"; safety must be integrated into all fields and the entire process of development. Ensure the security of grain, energy resources, important industrial and supply chains, and major infrastructure. Adhere to the working principle of "prioritizing stability and seeking progress while maintaining stability." Do not engage in "barrier-crashing" reforms that leave hidden dangers, or "overdrawn" and "radical" development that sacrifices safety. We must look at the growth curve but also value the safety bottom line; encourage pioneering and enterprising spirits but also emphasize rules and standards, promoting the mutual reinforcement of high-quality development and high-level security to create more resilient achievements.
3. How to achieve results in promoting high-quality development with a correct outlook on performance
Guiding high-quality development with a correct outlook on performance requires a multi-pronged and coordinated approach to ensure that the decision-making deployments of the Party Central Committee are implemented to the letter.
Grasp the "conductor's baton" of performance evaluation and firmly establish the "vane" of high-quality development. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized, "We must improve the methods for evaluating and appointing officials, placing importance on both ability and character, and on both political performance and political virtue." Adhere to an orientation for selecting and appointing personnel that values practical work, real achievements, and a sense of responsibility, using the outlook on performance as a litmus test for Party spirit and political character. We should perform "addition and subtraction" on evaluation indicators: increase the weight of indicators that reflect the substance of development—such as quality, efficiency, structure, livelihood, and ecology—and reduce indicators that encourage blind competition, repetitive construction, and short-term behavior, effectively "untying the hands and reducing the burden" for local development while clearly signaling what "good performance" entails. Meanwhile, high-quality development is not a "one-size-fits-all" concept; evaluation designs must be tailored to local conditions, respecting the development stages, functional positioning, and resource endowments of different regions, and refusing to "measure everyone with the same yardstick." We should integrate multi-dimensional evaluations—including routine and annual, qualitative and quantitative, and special and term-based assessments—to break through the limitations of "purely clerical evaluations" or "impression-based scoring," achieving a full-cycle, graded, and classified precision in evaluation to timely identify and correct tendencies that deviate from the track of high-quality development. Crucially, we must break the "internal circulation" of closed-door assessments and implement "open-door evaluations," smoothing channels for the masses to participate in assessments, and truly using the "ratings" of the masses as the "measuring tape" for officials' performance.
Create a "training ground" for official capacity and forge "hard skills" for high-quality development. General Secretary Xi Jinping highlighted that "in establishing and practicing a correct outlook on performance, the decisive factor is Party spirit." We must treat normalized and long-term theoretical study as a foundational project, closely combining education on the correct outlook on performance with the Party's original aspiration and founding mission, the ideological line of seeking truth from facts, macro-strategic thinking, and the disciplinary requirements of integrity and self-discipline, thereby fortifying officials’ sense of purpose and mission. We must profoundly recognize the long-term and arduous nature of modernization, encouraging officials to strengthen their muscles and bones in actual combat, and tempering "hardcore" abilities and a persistent mindset in the heat of reform and development and the "soil" of the grassroots. Plan for officials to go down to the front lines of practice: go to the front lines of rural revitalization to perceive the "warmth and cold" of people's lives and find answers in the fields; go to the forefront of technological innovation to learn new knowledge, embrace change, and maintain a "sponge-like" state of seeking knowledge; go to arduous and remote areas to hone willpower and character, learning to solve puzzles under multiple constraints; and work in "strenuous" positions and on urgent, difficult, dangerous, and heavy tasks to improve pressure resistance and decision-making levels, daring to "reset to zero" and start anew. Only by letting officials get more mud on their feet, more true feelings in their hearts, and more practical moves in their hands—comprehensively improving their political capacity, ability to tackle reform hurdles, scientific decision-making capacity, and implementation capacity—can they respond to the complex changes of the era with the "nail-driving spirit" [8] and grow into "versatile experts" adapted to the requirements of high-quality development.
Weave a "protection net" for correcting deviations and preventing errors, and strictly guard the "baseline" of high-quality development. Ensuring that a correct outlook on performance proceeds steadily and reaches far requires a working mechanism that effectively prevents and corrects deviations. We should advance the establishment and practice of a correct outlook on performance in tandem with education on officials' outlooks on career, power, status, and interests. Strictly implement intra-Party regulations such as the Regulations on CPC Disciplinary Action and the Regulations on the Evaluation of Party and Government Leading Officials. Establish a "negative list" for deviations in the outlook on performance, keep a close eye on the "key few" [9] while managing the "absolute majority," and correct prominent problems such as "involution-style" [10] malicious competition, "responsibility-avoiding" passivity, and low-level repetitive construction. Improve the supervision and accountability system, conduct "looking back" [11] inspections on a regular basis, and ensure that "holding one person accountable alerts a whole group and promotes a whole region." Simultaneously, adhere to the combination of strict management and "great love," placing equal emphasis on incentive and restraint. Accurately implement the "Three Distinctions" [12], and establish and improve mechanisms for allowing and correcting errors, as well as a selection mechanism where officials can be promoted or demoted. In correcting deviations and preventing errors, grasp the dialectical relationship between "rash action" and "lying flat," between "being clean" and "doing things," and between "taking action" and "inaction." Guide work to discard empty efforts and return to real results and effectiveness, creating a thick atmosphere of daring to explore, being determined to innovate, and doing work down-to-earth, thereby continuously stimulating the endogenous motivation and overall vitality of the official ranks.