Qiushi Journal Commentator: Opening New Vistas for Chinese Modernization with a Correct Outlook on Performance Evaluation
The outlook on political achievement is the value compass for Party members and officials in performing their duties; it bears upon the direction and effectiveness of the cause of the Party and the people. At the critical juncture of the commencement of the "15th Five-Year Plan," the Party Central Committee has decided to launch a study and education program throughout the entire Party on establishing and practicing a correct outlook on political achievement. This is a baseline requirement for implementing the strategic deployments of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee and ensuring decisive progress in basically achieving socialist modernization [1]. It is an important measure for practicing the Party's fundamental purpose and consolidating the Party's foundation for governance. Furthermore, it is an effective path for consolidating and expanding the achievements of centralized study and education within the Party and for persevering in comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. It possesses strong pertinence and practical significance.
The kind of outlook on political achievement one establishes dictates the kind of outlook on development one adopts, which in turn generates particular developmental outcomes. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "The '15th Five-Year Plan' has already commenced; leadership teams at all levels have high enthusiasm and great drive, which is good, but the key is that the outlook on political achievement must be correct." The "15th Five-Year Plan" period is a critical stage for consolidating the foundation and exerting full force to basically achieve socialist modernization; development tasks are heavy, reform challenges are difficult, and expectations for people's livelihoods are high. Whether economic and social development goals can be achieved as scheduled depends largely on whether Party members and officials can calibrate the course of development and work with down-to-earth dedication through a correct outlook on political achievement. For instance, promoting high-quality development requires working hard on optimizing structures, transforming drivers of growth, and enhancing quality and efficiency. However, some Party members and officials are obsessed with "grand spectacles" and overextending projects; some even continue to use "Two High" [2] projects as a primary means of promoting economic growth, turning temporary political achievements into long-term burdens. Developing new quality productive forces must be based on local conditions, yet some officials ignore objective reality and industrial foundations to blindly follow "high-end and sophisticated" projects, resulting in unfinished "rotten-tail" projects. Building a unified national market requires the whole country to act like a single chessboard, but some officials only care about their own "one-third of an acre" [3], engaging in local protectionism and setting up artificial barriers. Tackling tough reforms requires targeting problems, yet some officials circumvent contradictions; on one hand, "new officials ignore the debts of their predecessors," [4] while on the other, they disregard difficulties in their current work, passing the buck to their successors. All such instances are the results of a distorted outlook on political achievement, which inevitably leads to the warping of policy implementation and the drifting of developmental direction, affecting the substance of modernization. The purpose of launching this study and education program is to guide Party members and officials to eradicate erroneous outlooks—such as impetuousness, eagerness for quick success and instant benefits, fraud, and acting blindly and recklessly—and to implement the strategic deployments of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee in a solid and steadfast manner, turning the blueprint of Chinese-path modernization into a beautiful reality.
Whether the outlook on political achievement is correct concerns not only the development of the cause but also directly affects the Party's foundation for governance. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "The issue of the outlook on political achievement is a fundamental one; it concerns building a party for the public and governing for the people." Only when Party members and officials have an upright outlook will they truly focus their thoughts and energy on undertaking endeavors for the Party and the people, thereby winning the people’s support and making the Party’s foundation as firm as a rock. In reality, however, some officials have a deviated outlook, neglecting long-term development and the actual needs of the masses to engage in "vanity projects" [5] that are all show and no substance, or "political achievement projects" that waste labor and money. These not only waste precious resources but also damage the Party's image and prestige, undermine Party-群众 (mass) relations, and erode the Party's foundation. This study and education program aims to guide officials to more firmly establish the consciousness of the purpose of serving the people, thinking what the people think and acting on what the people entrust, continuously enhancing the people's sense of gain, happiness, and security, and consolidating the Party's foundation with real results.
Correcting the outlook on political achievement also facilitates the deep development of comprehensively and strictly governing the Party. Through a series of centralized study and education programs since the 18th National Congress, Party members and officials have further tightened the "Master Switch" [6] of their worldview, outlook on life, and values; the conduct of the Party and the government has continued to improve. However, while the "trees" of the "Four Winds" have been felled, their roots remain; the situation of the anti-corruption struggle remains grave and complex. The emergence of unhealthy tendencies and corruption is often closely related to a distorted outlook on political achievement. For example, some officials engage in "stacking up big accounts," [7] "creating potted landscapes," [8] or "putting up storefronts" precisely to fabricate conspicuous achievements in the short term. Some resort to fraud in statistical data to deceive superiors and subordinates just to appear "capable." Still others alienate political achievement into capital for promotion, tying their work to personal fame and wealth, leading to the exchange of power for money and the funneling of interests. Establishing a correct outlook is conducive to purifying the political ecosystem at its source and uprooting the soil and conditions that breed "wind-corruption" [9] issues. This study and education program aims to guide officials to further temper their Party spirit, prevent and rectify deviations, clear the source at the depth of their thinking, and build a dam against perverse trends, cleansing the "muddy waters" to create a clear political atmosphere for the new journey.
"Building a party for the public, benefiting the people, scientific decision-making, and seeking truth from facts in work" are the general requirements of this study and education program. These succinctly summarize the questions of for whom we create achievements, what kind of achievements we create, and how we create them. They serve as the yardstick for measuring the outlook on political achievement. Party members and officials must deeply understand their spiritual essence and practical requirements, ensuring they permeate every aspect of the study and education process.
Party spirit plays the decisive role in establishing and practicing a correct outlook on political achievement. Only by persisting in building a party for the public and discarding selfish motives can one ensure that the outlook does not deviate. As a Marxist party, our Party has no special interests of its own; all its work is for the realization, maintenance, and development of the fundamental interests of the broadest masses of the people. This nature and purpose dictate that officials must always base their achievements on the public and the "Greater Self" rather than the private or the "Lesser Self." One must keep the "top priorities of the nation" [10] in mind, regard personal gains and losses lightly, and resolutely and vigorously carry out anything beneficial to the cause of the Party and the people, while resolutely and thoroughly reforming anything detrimental, ensuring the power bestowed by the Party and the people is always used for their sake.
Benefiting the people is the greatest political achievement. Our Party was born for the people and thrives because of them; Communists undertake endeavors and create achievements for the sole purpose of benefiting the people. Officials should frequently ask themselves: Is what we are doing what the people want us to do? Have the people truly received tangible benefits? We must focus on the most immediate and practical interest issues of the masses, taking more concrete measures that are perceptible and accessible. We must continue to exert effort in areas such as childcare, education, employment, medical services, elderly care, housing, and social assistance, so that the fruits of modernization benefit all people more extensively and fairly. We must take how many good and practical deeds have been done for the common people as the important criterion for testing political achievement, doing both practical things that are visible and tangible to the people and good things that lay the foundation and benefit the long term for future generations.
To ensure that political achievements can withstand the test of practice and history, we must adhere to scientific decision-making. Holding office in a locality is like taking an exam; only by seriously analyzing the questions, scientifically solving the problems, and answering accurately can one submit a passing grade. Party members and officials must never make "head-patting" [11] decisions based solely on subjective assumptions or partial experience, nor should they make blind decisions or rush projects to pursue so-called "achievements." They should respect objective laws, conduct deep investigation and research, and listen broadly to opinions—"asking the woodcutter when entering the mountains and the fisherman when entering the waters"—considering all possible situations and estimating potential risks to ensure decisions conform to reality and the trend of development.
Achievements are made through action; only through real work can real achievements be produced. Facing new tasks on the new journey, officials must seek truth from facts in work, focusing on practical efforts, practical moves, and practical results. They must achieve success through persistence and resolutely put an end to implementations that are merely slogans, empty gestures, or "packaged" performances. For matters of urgency, they must act immediately and handle them swiftly, without waiting or watching, and certainly without becoming "lying flat" [12] officials. For long-term tasks, they must maintain historical patience and strategic resolve, possessing the spiritual realm of "success does not have to be achieved by me" and the historical responsibility of "success must include my contribution," moving forward firmly step by step and advancing solidly stage by stage.
Seeking dreams across mountains and seas, the distance does not feel far; the road ahead is long, but we stride broadly. Taking this study and education program as an opportunity, the vast number of Party members and officials—by firmly establishing and practicing a correct outlook on political achievement and insisting on producing results for the people through practical work—will surely write a glorious chapter worthy of the Party and the people on this new and magnificent journey, promoting Chinese-path modernization to continuously achieve new breakthroughs and open up new horizons.