Zhang Duan: In-depth Study and Implementation of General Secretary Xi Jinping's Important Expositions on Establishing and Practicing a Correct View of Performance Evaluation
Recently, the Party Central Committee decided to launch a study and education campaign throughout the entire Party on establishing and practicing a correct outlook on performance [1]. A key task of this study and education is to organize Party members and cadres to deeply study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on establishing and practicing a correct outlook on performance, further strengthening the concepts of "founding the Party for the public," "benefiting the people," "scientific decision-making," and "taking practical actions for real results." Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, General Secretary Xi Jinping has delivered a series of important discourses centered on establishing and practicing a correct outlook on performance. These have clearly addressed major questions such as the practical significance, core essence, and practical requirements of this outlook, providing ideological guidance and a roadmap for action for Party members and cadres to conduct themselves, fulfill their duties, and start new endeavors.
The Practical Significance of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s Important Expositions on Establishing and Practicing a Correct Outlook on Performance
General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The issue of the outlook on performance is a fundamental one; it concerns founding the Party for the public and governing for the people." An outlook on performance is a mirror that reflects a Party member's Party spirit cultivation, ideals and beliefs, and political stance. General Secretary Xi Jinping's important expositions on this topic possess strong pertinence and practical significance for promoting a good start to the 15th Five-Year Plan [2], and for continuously breaking new ground in Chinese-path modernization.
On one hand, achieving the goals and tasks of building a great modern socialist country in all respects requires Party members and cadres to establish and practice a correct outlook on performance. Building a modern socialist country in all respects is a great yet arduous undertaking with a bright future but a long and difficult road ahead. General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "From now until the middle of this century, building a great modern socialist country in all respects and comprehensively promoting the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the central task of the entire Party and the people of the whole country. The relay baton of building a strong nation and national rejuvenation has historically fallen upon the shoulders of our generation." Currently, as the world’s changes unseen in a century accelerate their evolution, our country’s development has entered a period where strategic opportunities coexist with risks and challenges, and uncertain and unpredictable factors are increasing. Facing a complex international situation and the arduous tasks of domestic reform, development, and stability, we must "proceed from the realization of the Party's missions and tasks to establish and practice a correct outlook on performance," and "with a spiritual state of 'success does not have to be mine, but I must contribute to success' [3], advance Chinese-path modernization with single-minded focus."
What kind of outlook on performance one establishes determines what kind of development results will be produced. Whether a Party member or cadre’s outlook on performance is correct is not merely an issue of personal growth; it directly affects whether economic and social development goals can be achieved as scheduled and relates to whether the cause of the Party and the people can advance smoothly. Therefore, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "The 15th Five-Year Plan has already started; the leadership teams at all levels have high enthusiasm and great drive, which is good, but the key is that the outlook on performance must be correct." Only by establishing and practicing a correct outlook on performance, seeking truth from facts, and taking practical actions for real results can the Party's various strategic deployments be implemented, the blueprint of Chinese-path modernization be turned into a beautiful reality, and the Second Centenary Goal be ensured.
On the other hand, deviations in the outlook on performance among some Party members and cadres need to be identified and corrected. Currently, the vast majority of Party members and cadres are able to establish and practice a correct outlook on performance, but we must also clearly see that some still have cognitive deviations. Therefore, it is imperative to rectify erroneous outlooks on performance. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "A correct outlook on performance requires us to persist in proceeding from reality and acting according to objective laws. Through scientific decision-making and hard, practical work, we must create achievements that can withstand the test of practice and history, truly benefit the people, and be recognized by the masses. An erroneous outlook on performance, however, proceeds from personal or small-group interests; it is characterized by impetuousness, a quest for quick success and instant benefits, fraud, and blind action. It leads to 'image projects' and 'vanity projects' [4], leaving behind burdens and hidden dangers, and causing strong dissatisfaction among the people."
Broadly speaking, erroneous outlooks on performance manifest in the following ways: First, emphasizing "traces" over "achievements." Some Party members and cadres pursue grand forms while neglecting substantive implementation. In their work, they are often satisfied with superficialities, going through the motions and formalities, leading to the frequent appearance of "digital performance" and "spreadsheet performance." This not only fails to meet the requirements of high-quality development but also creates endless hidden dangers for the development of the Party and the nation.
Second, emphasizing "visible achievements" over "latent achievements." Some Party members and cadres blindly pursue "visible achievements" in their work, being keen on "quick-fix" projects that yield immediate results. Confined by a small mindset of "leaving a name for oneself," they seek "brilliant" performance with an impetuous mentality of quick success, neglecting the foundational work that focuses on long-term development and solidifying the roots of the cause. This makes it difficult for the Party's correct line, principles, and policies to be effectively implemented.
Third, emphasizing "looking upward" over "looking downward." Some Party members and cadres are accustomed to being high and mighty, detached from the masses and reality; they "run to the top often, but rarely to the grassroots, and remain distant from the masses." This is essentially the influence of bureaucratic ideology. Some cadres are keen on building projects within the "visible range" of superiors [5] and are more interested in "putting on a show" than "doing things." Using "creating a spectacle" to replace "creating benefits" actually reveals a lack of ideals and beliefs, forgetting that the power in their hands is bestowed by the people. These erroneous outlooks run counter to the correct requirement of "persisting in benefiting the people and creating performance through practical work." Therefore, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to "deeply investigate and rectify deviations in the outlook on performance, and strive to create real results that can withstand the test of practice, the people, and history."
The Core Essence of General Secretary Xi Jinping’s Important Expositions on Establishing and Practicing a Correct Outlook on Performance
Performance is the work achievement obtained by Party members and cadres in fulfilling their duties. An outlook on performance represents the fundamental view and general perspective on such achievements; it is the concrete manifestation of a Party member’s world outlook, life outlook, and values in the practice of governance. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions profoundly answer major questions such as "for whom is performance established, what kind of performance should be established, and what should we rely on to establish performance," providing a fundamental guide for the broad masses of Party members and cadres.
Benefiting the people is the greatest performance. For whom performance is established is a question concerning one's fundamental stance. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that "benefiting the people is the greatest performance." This fundamentally clarifies that for Chinese Communists, pursuing a career and creating achievements meant seeking interests for the people, reflecting a value orientation of "people first." The people are the creators of history and the main force driving social development. Marx and Engels pointed out in the Communist Manifesto: "All previous movements were movements of minorities, or in the interest of minorities. The proletarian movement is the self-conscious, independent movement of the immense majority, in the interest of the immense majority." Seeking interests for the vast majority is a distinctive feature of a Marxist party and the fundamental pursuit of Chinese Communists.
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "In whatever we do or work on, if we achieve what is beneficial to the state above and the people below; if it meets both the immediate interests and the long-term interests of the state and the people; and if it can promote economic and social development while furthering national prosperity and people's happiness, then we have created the true performance needed by the Party and the people." Standing at a new historical starting point, to coordinately advance the tasks of the 15th Five-Year Plan period and establish a correct outlook on performance, we must always stand firmly on the people's side. We must do more practical things that benefit the people and devise more policies that aid them, transforming the "problem list" in the field of people's livelihoods into a "duty list" for Party members and cadres, consistently asking the people about their needs, their wisdom, and the effectiveness of our work.
Adhering to high-quality development is a key component of a correct outlook on performance. The new development philosophy is the "baton" [6] for China's economic and social development, defining the basic ideas, directions, and focus. The performance of Party members and cadres should be reflected in "grasping, measuring, and promoting development through the internal unity of innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and sharing." General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "High-quality development is the primary task of building a modern socialist country in all respects, and adhering to high-quality development must become an important part of the outlook on performance for leading cadres. We must improve the performance appraisal methods for promoting high-quality development, allow the 'baton' to play its role, and drive leadership teams at all levels to earnestly practice a correct outlook on performance, effectively forming a correct work orientation."
China's economy has transitioned from a stage of high-speed growth to a stage of high-quality development, facing arduous tasks such as transforming the development mode, optimizing the economic structure, and shifting growth drivers. This places more specific requirements on the outlook on performance. First, achieving high-quality development must prioritize quality and efficiency. This requires cadres to resolutely abandon the outlook that simply equates development with increasing GDP or judges success solely based on GDP rankings; they must pursue substantial GDP without "water" [7] and seek efficient, high-quality, and sustainable economic development. Second, high-quality development is supported by a high-quality ecological environment. The people's aspiration for a better life inherently includes the need for a beautiful environment. Therefore, cadres should firmly establish and practice the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," coordinate the relationship between environmental governance and economic development, and adhere to a path of ecological priority and green, low-carbon development. Third, high-quality development means development results that benefit all people more fairly. Ultimately, the fruits of development must be converted into improvements in the quality of people's lives. Thus, cadres must take the improvement of people's well-being as a key goal, strengthening basic and inclusive livelihood projects, and steadily moving toward the goal of common prosperity.
Acting according to objective laws and rules is a vital principle of a correct outlook on performance. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Acting according to laws and rules is a principle that Party members and cadres must uphold." Laws (规律) refer to the inherent, essential, and inevitable connections in the process of development, which do not change according to human will. Acting according to laws means persisting in using the viewpoints of connection and development to analyze problems, adhering to concrete analysis of concrete conditions, and grasping the principal contradiction. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Do not have the impulse to rush into projects blindly (大干快上); that is, one cannot act against objective laws, seeking quick success and instant results. We must suppress this impetuous and irritable mentality and engage in modernization construction in a down-to-earth and steady manner." Rules are the basis for behavior. Party rules are the norms and regulations that all Party organizations and members must follow, drawing a clear boundary and providing protection for clean governance. Acting according to laws and acting according to rules complement each other. Cadres must proceed from reality, grasp the regularity of complex issues, and perceive trends from emerging problems, while also remaining law-abiding and holding "awe" [8] for the rules. Only then can they truly achieve real results.
Effectively Grasping the Practical Requirements of Establishing and Practicing a Correct Outlook on Performance
On the new journey of the New Era, facing the Second Centenary Goal of building a great modern socialist country in all respects, Party members and cadres must enhance their Party spirit, prioritize practical work, and balance the immediate with the long-term. We must correctly handle the relationships between "public" and "private," "substantial" and "hollow," and "visible achievements" and "latent achievements," consciously creating performance for the people and through practical work, creating historical achievements worthy of the people and the era.
Correctly handling the relationship between "public" (公) and "private" (私). General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "In establishing and practicing a correct outlook on performance, the decisive factor is Party spirit." "The fundamental yardstick for measuring the strength of Party spirit is the two words: public and private."
On the new journey, Party members and cadres must strengthen their ideals and convictions, temper their Party spirit, raise their level of ideological consciousness, and consciously adopt the standpoint of the Party and the people when considering issues and carrying out work, resolving the "urgent, difficult, and anxious" issues [9] of the masses with heart and soul. "As members of the Communist Party and as Party cadres, only by being devoted to the public good and acting out of public-spiritedness in all matters can one possess a correct outlook on right and wrong, on interests and righteousness, on power, and on career. Only then can one keep the masses in one's heart, act with magnanimity, exercise power with caution, and be open, aboveboard, and upright."
Correctly handle the relationship between the "solid" (shi) and the "hollow" (xu) [10]. Political achievements are never mere empty reputations, but are actual achievements that can withstand the test of history and the people. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Communists are materialists; being pragmatic is an essential character trait. We must seek truth from facts, be realistic and pragmatic, and work with concrete effort." Facing the goals and tasks of the "15th Five-Year Plan" period [11], Party members and cadres must carry forward a realistic and pragmatic work style, "not indulging in fantasies or pursuing empty echoes" [12], but speaking the truth, observing the true situation, devising practical moves, doing solid work, and seeking real results, focusing on solving the prominent problems reflected strongly by the masses. At the same time, they must resolutely oppose formalism and bureaucratism—the "Four Winds"—which are obsessed with performing for superiors while being irresponsible toward subordinates and ignoring actual effects. They must overcome impetuous emotions to produce real achievements and produce achievements that are real.
Correctly handle the relationship between "conspicuous achievements" (xianji) and "latent achievements" (qianji) [13]. Conspicuous achievements and latent achievements are dialectically unified; both constitute political performance. The characteristics of "conspicuous achievements" are that they are visible, tangible, and yield quick results; the characteristics of "latent achievements" are that they require large investment, yield results slowly, and benefit the long term. For example, technological breakthroughs in key fields, ecological and environmental protection, and personnel training all require that one persist over the long term to achieve lasting results. From the perspective of the overall development of the cause of the Party and the country, pursuing conspicuous achievements and latent achievements is not contradictory. Only by doing well in the "conspicuous achievements" that solve immediate practical problems can conditions be created for "latent achievements"; only by doing well in the "latent achievements" of successive struggles can a foundation be thickened and strength accumulated for the comprehensive development of the economy and society. Party members and cadres must possess both the broad-mindedness and realm of "success does not have to be found in me" [14], and the responsibility and mission of "success must involve my contribution." They must both actively respond to the concerns of people's livelihoods by producing substantial "conspicuous achievements" and remain anchored to their goals, willing to invest time and energy into the "latent achievements" that pave the way, lay the foundation, and benefit the long term.
(The author is an Associate Research Fellow at the Institute of Marxism Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) Source: Frontline (Qianxian) Magazine, Issue 4, 2026