Kan Daoyuan: Establish and Practice a Correct Outlook on Performance by Properly Handling "Five Pairs of Relationships"
A correct outlook on performance is the virtue of governance, the way of public service, and the essential element of administration. In the New Era, establishing and practicing a correct outlook on performance is a matter concerning the overall development of the Party and the state, the vital interests of the people, and the process of building Chinese-path modernization. General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out: "We must establish a correct outlook on performance and properly handle the relationships between stability and progress, upholding the new and breaking the old, the abstract and the concrete, addressing symptoms and root causes, and the short-term and the long-term; we must persist in bottom-line thinking, strengthen risk awareness, and consciously incorporate the New Development Concept [1] throughout the entire process of economic and social development." This important discourse, grounded in the Marxist standpoint, viewpoint, and method, constitutes the worldview and methodology for Party members and officials in their endeavors. It provides a fundamental follow-through for Party members and officials to practice their original aspiration and founding mission, anchor the benchmark of performance, and calibrate their direction of action. On the grand journey of comprehensively advancing the great cause of building a powerful nation and national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization, and facing the heavy tasks of reform, development, and stability, Party members and officials must use systemic concepts and dialectical thinking to properly handle "five pairs of relationships," taking the well-being of the people as the greatest political achievement and creating real results that can withstand the test of practice, the people, and history.
The Relationship Between Stability and Progress
"Stability" and "progress" are dialectically unified and complementary. The general principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability is an important principle for our governance of the country and a methodology for doing economic work well. "Stability" is the big picture, the foundation, and the prerequisite; "progress" is the direction, the kinetic energy, and the guarantee. To discuss "progress" in isolation from "stability" makes it easy to fall into the trap of seeking quick success and instant benefits [2] or blind adventurism; to seek "stability" in isolation from "progress" leads easily to complacency and a lack of initiative. To establish and practice a correct outlook on performance in the New Era, one must unify the steadfastness of "stability" with the sharpness of "progress," persisting in seeking progress while maintaining stability and promoting stability through progress. We must neither be blindly impulsive nor recoil from difficulties and risks, pushing the cause of the Party and the state to go steady and go far [3] within a dynamic equilibrium.
Persist in using "stability" to fortify the foundation of development. In today's world, where multiple challenges and crises are intertwined and superimposed, we must maintain strategic resolve and place the stabilization of the overall situation, expectations, and growth in a prominent position. General Secretary Xi Jinping cautioned Party members and officials: "When one governs a region or serves a term, one must of course carry out work boldly and forge ahead with determination, but at the same time, one must maintain the stability and continuity of the work." Party members and officials must respect objective laws and the reality of development, refrain from "rushing headlong into mass action" [4] that exceeds the current stage of development, and avoid making short-term decisions that "eat the grain of next year in April" (borrowing from the future) [5], preventing the waste of resources and the delaying of development caused by unpredictable policy changes.
Persist in using "progress" to stimulate endogenous impetus. "Stability" does not mean inaction or stagnation; rather, it means achieving higher-quality, more efficient, and more sustainable development on a stable basis. We must accurately identify the entry points and focal points for "progress," firmly grasping high-quality development as the primary task, and taking the initiative to tackle tough problems in key areas such as scientific and technological innovation, industrial upgrading, and the improvement of people's livelihoods. We must resolve development difficulties through reform and innovation, optimize the quality of development through structural adjustment, and expand development space through openness and cooperation, using substantive "progress" to sustain a more resilient and enduring "stability."
The Relationship Between Upholding the New and Breaking the Old
"Breaking" and "upholding" constitute two aspects of the unity of opposites in all things; proceeding through "breaking" and "upholding" is a basic law of development. Adjusting policies and promoting reforms requires grasping the proper timing, intensity, and effectiveness, persisting in upholding the new before breaking the old [6] and making steady progress. To establish and practice a correct outlook on performance in the New Era, we must clarify "what to uphold and what to break," grasping the principle of "uphold first, then break; do not break if not yet upheld," so as to avoid the disorder and developmental gaps induced by breaking things before new ones are established or by extensive breaking with minimal upholding.
Use "upholding" to consolidate the foundation and strengthen support. "Upholding" means standing on the long term and hollowing out the foundation; it means building and sustaining "livelihood projects" that align with the New Development Concept, the interests of the masses, and the long-term overall situation. We must base ourselves on the overall situation of Chinese-path modernization, establishing a high-quality development orientation, the purpose of serving the people, strategies for systemic governance, the concept of green development, and a style of hard work and responsibility. For the correct paths, effective systems, and mature experiences that have been tested through practice, we must unswervingly persist in and improve them, fortifying the "four beams and eight pillars" [7] of the development of our cause.
Use "breaking" to eliminate deep-seated ailments and open new horizons. "Breaking" means removing obstacles and eradicating malpractices, shattering fixed mindsets and path dependency, and breaking away from obsolete concepts that do not align with high-quality development. We must resolutely break away from erroneous performance outlooks such as "GDP-onlyism," "prioritizing visible achievements over latent achievements," and "prioritizing short-term interests over long-term ones." We must break old models of resource waste, ecological destruction, and extensive development, and break bad habits such as passing the buck, perfunctory performance of duties, inaction, and arbitrary action. At the same time, "breaking" must have "upholding" as its prerequisite; when new drivers have not yet formed, new mechanisms have not yet been established, and new guarantees are not yet in place, we cannot blindly "break" or hastily "retreat," preventing management vacuums, absence of livelihood support, or a loss of development speed.
The Relationship Between the Abstract and the Concrete
The "abstract" and the "concrete" reflect the Party spirit and work style, testing the true quality of performance. "Achievements are made through work; only by working in earnest can real achievements be made and can achievements be real." Party members and officials should "not crave vanity, not perform hollow work, and not seek false reputations." The "abstract" points toward theoretical guidance, ideological leadership, and value orientation, while the "concrete" points toward practical actions, specific measures, and actual results. "Abstractness" divorced from "concreteness" is a castle in the air; "concreteness" divorced from "abstractness" will lose its direction. The unity of the "abstract" and the "concrete" is the unity of knowledge and action [8] and the consistency of appearance and inner substance. Party members and officials must both fortify their ideological foundation through theoretical clarity and create solid results through hard work, resolutely putting an end to "prioritizing traces over actual results" [9] and "prioritizing slogans over actions," ensuring every task is pragmatic and solid, and every performance record is true and credible.
Strengthen theoretical armament, using the "abstract" to pilot and direct. A correct outlook on performance originates first from the guidance of scientific theory. We must deeply study and practice the important discourses of General Secretary Xi Jinping on establishing and practicing a correct outlook on performance, profoundly grasping the fundamental questions of "for whom is performance established, what kind of performance should be established, and by what means is performance established," internalizing the well-being of the people, loyal performance of duties, and hard work as a conscious motivation for action. We must strengthen cultivation of Party spirit, resolving the "master switch" [10] problem of worldview, outlook on life, and values, ensuring a correct outlook on performance through theoretical clarity, and preventing its deviation through political firmness.
Advocate for hard work and responsibility, using the "concrete" to test efficacy. All performance must ultimately be reflected through practice, hard work, and actual results. To establish and practice a correct performance outlook in the New Era, we must resolutely oppose formalism and bureaucratism, refrain from flashy but useless moves [11], avoid making superficial "window-dressing," and eschew "image projects" or "vanity projects." We should focus our minds on starting businesses and put our energy into serving the people. We must persist in a problem-oriented approach, going deep into the grassroots and the masses, ensuring policy measures are targeted at solving the "urgent, difficult, and anxious" problems [12] of the masses, and that development results are reflected in the improvement of the people’s sense of gain, happiness, and security.
The Relationship Between Symptoms and Root Causes
Addressing symptoms and addressing root causes reflect work styles and methods, serving as an important yardstick for whether the outlook on performance is correct. We must strive to find reasons within systems and mechanisms to promote the treatment of both symptoms and root causes. Addressing symptoms is an emergency measure and a way to solve immediate difficulties; addressing root causes is source governance and comprehensive governance. If only symptoms are treated without the root cause, problems will repeatedly rebound; if one only talks of root causes without emphasizing symptoms, contradictions will accumulate and intensify. The core of treating both is to persist in combining "rectification in the moment" with "establishment for the long term," preventing the practice of "treating the head when the head aches and treating the foot when the foot aches," ensuring performance has both immediate efficacy and long-term value.
Solve problems quickly by addressing symptoms and resolving prominent contradictions. Treating symptoms is the prerequisite for treating root causes; by treating symptoms, one can accurately grasp the manifestations of problems and find the target for treating the root. Facing prominent areas where risks and hidden dangers are concentrated and the "pain points, difficulties, and bottlenecks" reported strongly by the masses, Party members and officials must react quickly, strike decisively, and handle matters in a timely manner, rapidly stabilizing the situation to respond to livelihood concerns. For problems in areas such as work safety, ecological protection, and livelihood security, one must "correct immediately upon identification" and resolve them within a time limit, preventing "small hidden dangers" from turning into "major accidents" and "small problems" from dragging into "major contradictions."
Strengthen the foundation by addressing root causes and improving long-term mechanisms. The key to solving fundamental, long-term, and overall problems lies in treating the root cause. We must look through the phenomena to see the essence, investigating root causes from the perspectives of ideological understanding, institutional rules, responsibility systems, and the exercise of power. We must upgrade effective practical experiences into systems and mechanisms, plugging management loopholes and mending shortcomings in governance. For example, in promoting high-quality development, we must not only solve short-term growth issues but also improve long-term mechanisms for scientific and technological innovation, industrial upgrading, and green transformation. In guaranteeing the well-being of the people, we must not only solve the needs of the masses for food, clothing, housing, transportation, and healthcare but also improve long-term systems for public services, social security, and grassroots governance.
The Relationship Between the Short-term and the Long-term
The relationship between the present and the long term, and between visible achievements and latent achievements, is a major relationship that must be properly handled in establishing and practicing a correct outlook on performance in the New Era. The unity of "short-term" and "long-term" means balancing immediate results with long-term benefits and coordinating development speed with development quality. One must "do practical deeds that are visible and tangible for the people, and also do good deeds that lay the groundwork and the foundation for future generations and benefit them in the long run." Seeking quick success and only caring about the present will inevitably overdraw the future; being overly ambitious and neglecting the present will turn any blueprint into a mere fantasy.
Based on the present, carry out immediate and visible achievements. No livelihood matter is small; "the leaves and branches are always tied to our feelings" [13]. Regarding the urgent needs of the masses for employment, education, medical care, elderly care, and housing, as well as the pressing tasks of regional development, project construction, and risk prevention, we must "act now" and work in earnest, responding to the expectations of the masses with visible and tangible changes. Present work is the foundation for long-term development; only by taking every step solidly and doing every task well can we "accumulate small victories into a large victory" and gather momentum for long-term development.
With an eye on the long term, cultivate long-term latent achievements. "He who does not plan for the ages cannot plan for the moment." Party members and officials should maintain historical patience, harboring the spirit that "success does not have to be mine, but I must contribute to success" [14]. We must persist in drawing one blueprint to the end and working one generation after another. Party members and officials should attach importance to "latent achievement projects" such as scientific and technological innovation, talent cultivation, ecological protection, cultural inheritance, and grassroots governance. They should be willing to do the groundwork and take on unfinished tasks, without creating turmoil, without backsliding, and without being short-sighted, so as to leave space for sustainable development for future generations.
On the new journey in the New Era, Party members and officials must truly study, believe in, understand, and apply the important discourses of General Secretary Xi Jinping on establishing and practicing a correct outlook on performance. They must incorporate the proper handling of the "five pairs of relationships" throughout the entire process of planning, executing, and accomplishing tasks. By working steadily and being adept at producing results, they can create achievements worthy of the Party, the people, and the times, providing a strong guarantee for the comprehensive advancement of building a powerful nation and the great cause of national rejuvenation.