Zeng Guang: Creating Benefits for the People Is the Greatest Political Achievement
Whether a concept of official performance [1] is correct or not concerns the overall situation of the cause of the Party and the state, the vital interests of the masses, and the construction process of Chinese-path modernization. From the strategic height of persisting in and strengthening the centralized and unified leadership of the Party Central Committee, the "Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the Fifteenth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development" put forward requirements for establishing and practicing a correct concept of official performance.
The year 2026 is the opening year of the "Fifteenth Five-Year Plan." At the opening ceremony of a study session for provincial and ministerial-level leading cadres on studying and implementing the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must establish and practice a correct concept of official performance, persist in proceeding from reality and acting according to objective laws, and consciously produce achievements for the people and through hard work." This profoundly clarifies key issues such as "for whom performance is established," "what kind of performance should be established," and "by what means performance is established," providing scientific guidance for Party members and cadres. In February 2026, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee issued the "Notice on Carrying Out Education and Study on Establishing and Practicing a Correct Concept of Official Performance throughout the Party," requiring such study to be conducted Party-wide, which further reflects the major significance of this concept.
Establishing and practicing a correct concept of official performance essentially requires that Party members and cadres uphold the value orientation of establishing performance for the people, the practical path of producing performance for the people, and the evaluative yardstick of having performance judged by the people. This is determined by our Party's nature, purpose, original aspiration and founding mission, and fine work style. Only by standing firmly on the people's side and anchoring the value orientation of creating benefits for the people can the Party's nature and purpose be truly demonstrated. Only by adhering to the people-centered development philosophy and promoting high-quality development can we shoulder the original aspiration and founding mission of building a strong country, national rejuvenation, and the people's happiness. Only by adhering to a style of hard work and taking real actions can we create actual achievements that can stand the test of practice, the people, and history.
Adhering to the supremacy of the people and establishing performance for the people. In Chinese-path modernization, people's livelihoods are of paramount importance. The Party's foundation is in the people, its lifeline is in the people, and its strength is in the people. The fundamental aspect of establishing and practicing a correct concept of official performance lies in adhering to the supremacy of the people and taking the benefit of the people as the value orientation. The vast numbers of Party members and cadres must strengthen their theoretical arming, unswervingly use the Party’s innovative theories to coalesce the soul [2], firm up their ideals and beliefs, and tighten the "master switch" [3] of their worldview, outlook on life, and values. Through continuous ideological tempering, political training, and practical exercise, they should enhance their Party spirit [4], forge absolute loyalty to the Party, cultivate deep feelings for the people, always place the people in the highest position in their hearts, always insist that people's livelihoods are paramount, and always regard benefiting the people as the greatest official performance.
Adhering to hard work as the priority and producing performance for the people. Empty talk harms the country, while hard work rejuvenates the nation [5]. Achievements are produced through doing; only hard work yields real results. The key to establishing and practicing a correct concept of official performance lies in prioritizing hard work and taking "producing performance for the people through hard work" as the primary path. The vast numbers of Party members and cadres must insist on putting "action" first, respect objective reality, and pay attention to the needs of the masses. They should perform both "conspicuous labor" [6] and "latent labor," looking toward the long term without being overly ambitious, working in the present without seeking quick success or short-term gains. They should pursue substantial growth without "water" [7] (inflation/falsification) and oppose behaviors such as pursuing grandiosity for its own sake, acting blindly and recklessly, as well as being flashy but unsubstantial or fabricating data. They must promote high-quality development through real actions, enhance the quality of benefiting the people, and continuously meet the people's growing needs for a better life.
Adhering to the people’s hearts as the yardstick and letting the people judge performance. A leader's reputation remains after they depart, discussed in the casual conversations of the people [8]. The eyes of the masses are discerning; the masses have their own scales in their hearts to weigh official performance. The legitimacy of official performance stems from the recognition of the people, and its quality should be judged by the people. The yardstick for establishing and practicing a correct concept of official performance lies with the people, taking whether the masses are satisfied as the fundamental standard for measuring performance. We must adhere to the principal position of the people, consciously proceed from the interests of the people, truly focus our minds and energy on starting undertakings for the Party and the people, and perform good and practical deeds that touch the hearts of the masses. We must disregard personal fame and fortune, and win the good reputation and genuine praise of the masses through solid achievements. At the same time, we should utilize the role of evaluation as a "baton" [9], focusing on investigating the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security. We must improve the evaluation systems for high-quality development and official performance, increasing the weight of improvements in people's livelihoods and public satisfaction. Only by subordinating personal "reputation" to the interests of the people can we realize the governance vision of "what the people desire, the government directs itself toward" [10].
In establishing and practicing a correct concept of official performance, it is Party spirit that plays the decisive role. On the new journey, the vast numbers of Party members and cadres must temper their Party spirit, improve their ideological consciousness, and enhance their ideological, political, and behavioral autonomy in firmly establishing a correct concept of official performance. They must consciously produce achievements for the people and through hard work, erecting monuments in the hearts of the people.