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Jin Minqing: The View on Political Performance Is a Fundamental Issue

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Since the 18th CPC National Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has delivered a series of important expositions centered on establishing and practicing a correct outlook on performance. General Secretary Xi Jinping noted: "Leading officials at all levels must proceed from the realization of the Party's mission and tasks to establish and practice a correct outlook on performance. They must check whether their thoughts and actions have deviated from the lofty ideal of Communism and the common ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics; whether they have strayed from the fundamental tenet of serving the people heart and soul; whether they have drifted away from the Party's line, principles, and policies, as well as the major decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee; and whether they have become divorced from the national conditions and the realities of their own regions or departments. They should maintain the spiritual state of 'success does not have to be mine, but I must contribute to success,' [1] advancing Chinese-path modernization with single-minded devotion." He emphasized: "The issue of the outlook on performance is a fundamental one, concerning the principles of 'founding the Party for the public good and governing for the people.' [2] A correct outlook on performance requires us to persist in proceeding from reality, act according to objective laws, and—through scientific decision-making and hard, practical work—create achievements that can withstand the test of practice and history, truly benefit the people, and earn public recognition. Conversely, an erroneous outlook on performance proceeds from the interests of individuals or small cliques; it is characterized by impetuousness, a quest for quick success and instant benefits, trickery and deception, and reckless action. It leads to the pursuit of 'image projects' [3] and 'vanity projects,' leaving behind burdens and hidden dangers that cause strong dissatisfaction among the masses." These important expositions by General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly reveal the internal links between a correct outlook on performance and the Party's political nature, ideals, convictions, political stance, fundamental tenet, ideological line, work style, governance goals, and central tasks. They profoundly clarify the contemporary value, core connotation, and criteria for judgment regarding a correct outlook on performance, as well as the significance of establishing and practicing it, providing fundamental guidance for conducting education on this subject.

The outlook on performance is directly related to the Party's political nature, ideals, and convictions

The issue of the outlook on performance directly reflects how leading officials understand and uphold the Party’s political nature, ideals, convictions, goals, and original aspiration and founding mission. To establish and practice a correct outlook on performance, one must first profoundly answer the key questions of "who am I?" and "what should I do?" at the ideological source. This clarifies the position and role of leading officials in their endeavors, facilitating the transformation of the Party's political nature from theory into practice, and its ideals and convictions from concepts into reality.

The Communist Party is an advanced political party with unique political attributes. When leading the creation of Communist organizations, Marx and Engels clarified the essential nature of a proletarian party armed with Marxism as being advanced and pure. Composed of advanced elements who grasp scientific theory ideologically and stand at the forefront of practice in action, the Communist Party must always adhere to Marxist guidance and fight at the vanguard of the movement for human liberation. As a Marxist party, the Communist Party of China (CPC) clearly defined itself as the "vanguard" of the Chinese working class at its inception. The Party Constitution states in its opening lines: "The Communist Party of China is the vanguard of the Chinese working class, and at the same time the vanguard of the Chinese people and the Chinese nation." Our Party has always led the people of all ethnic groups in unremitting struggle to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and has consistently strengthened Party building through the spirit of self-revolution to ensure its own excellence and purity.

Firmly upholding faith in Marxist theory and conviction in the ideal of Communism is the fundamental requirement for maintaining the Party's political attributes; it is also the fundamental hallmark for testing whether the Party preserves its essential character. From the day of its founding, the Communist Party has been an advanced political organization with firm ideals and convictions, dedicated to the liberation of all humanity and the realization of Communism. Since its establishment, the CPC has taken faith in Marxism and Communism as its foundation for existence, persisting in and continuously developing Marxism while struggling tirelessly for Communism. From the beginning, our Party has not held ideals and convictions in the abstract, but has materialized them into a process of struggle, rooted in China’s specific conditions to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. For over 100 years, generations of Chinese Communists have remained true to their original aspiration and founding mission, upholding the Party's ideals and spiritual pursuits, acting as firm believers and faithful practitioners of the lofty ideal and the common ideal, achieving one brilliant victory after another.

A correct outlook on performance vividly reflects the Party's advanced nature, fully demonstrates firm Marxist faith and Communist conviction, and highlights the role and responsibility of leading officials. A correct outlook on performance places clear requirements on the theoretical faith and ideals of leading officials. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Party officials must be firm in the lofty ideal of Communism, sincerely believe in Marxism, and struggle unswervingly for socialism with Chinese characteristics. They must not waver in the Party's basic theory, basic line, basic program, basic experience, and basic requirements." A correct outlook on performance requires leading officials to have a precise positioning on the question of "who am I," remembering that they are outstanding representatives of the vanguard, understanding the Party's innovative theories more deeply in thought, and taking the lead in practice more proactively in action.

In establishing and practicing a correct outlook on performance, Party spirit [4] plays the decisive role. Under new historical conditions, this means arming the mind with the latest achievements in the Sinicization and modernization of Marxism, and translating the Party's innovative theories into the developmental practice of comprehensively advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. In reality, some leading officials are plagued by selfish motives; they want to be officials but not to do work, they want power but not responsibility, they want the spotlight but not to exert effort. They focus on "obvious achievements" [5] while ignoring "latent achievements" [6]; they prize surface-level appearances over actual results; and they look only to the moods of their superiors while ignoring the needs of the grassroots masses. Alternatively, they adopt a passive mentality of "doing more leads to more mistakes, doing less to fewer mistakes, and doing nothing to no mistakes," shifting tasks upward or downward and haggling over responsibilities when encountering difficulties. Under the guise of "transmitting pressure down through the levels," they shirk primary responsibility to the grassroots, enjoying the perks of their position without taking action. Or they lose the required advanced nature and spirit of historical initiative. These practices are incompatible with the requirements of a correct outlook on performance and are manifestations of impure Party spirit.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "As long as we have firm ideals and convictions, a determined will to struggle, and persistent perseverance—showing our mettle in ordinary times, standing out at critical moments, and risking all in times of crisis—every Party member can make contributions for the Party and the people in the great cause of national rejuvenation!" Leading officials must follow the important requirements of General Secretary Xi Jinping, firming up their theoretical faith and ideals, clearing the source and strengthening the foundation ideologically. They must resolutely break through various erroneous understandings, thoroughly eliminate selfish motives, maintain the Party's advanced nature and purity, guard its essential character, and firmly establish and faithfully practice a correct outlook on performance. They must transform the Party's political nature and ideals into the great practice of advancing the building of a strong country and the cause of national rejuvenation.

The outlook on performance is directly related to the Party's political stance and fundamental tenet

In the final analysis, a correct outlook on performance reflects the Party's political stance and fundamental tenet, determines the nature and direction of achievements, and tests their actual effectiveness. To establish and practice a correct outlook on performance, one must adopt the spiritual state of "I will be selfless and live up to the people," [7] taking the handling of people’s affairs and the creation of their well-being as the most important achievements, and using the quantity of good, practical deeds done for the common people as the vital standard for testing performance.

The stance and tenet of Chinese Communists are distinct and thorough. When Marx and Engels founded the Communist Party, they clearly stipulated that Communists must stand firmly on the side of the interests of the proletariat and the broadest masses of the people, with the liberation of all humanity as their goal. Communists have no special interests of their own apart from the overall interests of the proletariat and all humanity. Chinese Marxists early on put forward the clear slogan of "transforming China and the world," dedicating themselves to seeking happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation. Our Party explicitly proposed that its fundamental tenet is to serve the people heart and soul. To fully implement this political stance and fundamental tenet, leading officials must firmly establish the Marxist mass viewpoint, practice the Party's mass line in the New Era, adhere to the governance philosophy of putting the people first, and implement the people-centered development philosophy.

A correct outlook on performance is the inevitable requirement and concrete manifestation of the Party's political stance and fundamental tenet. To firm up the people's stance and practice the fundamental tenet, one must follow the essential requirement of founding the Party for the public good and governing for the people, taking the benefit of the people as the greatest achievement. As Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out in Zhijiang Xinyu [8]: "The fundamental purpose of establishing achievements is to seek benefits for the people. If an official builds achievements to leave a name for themselves, to erect a monument to themselves, or to solicit a promotion, such an official simply cannot achieve seeking truth from facts, cannot be responsible to the masses, and cannot focus single-mindedly on implementation." Leading officials must remember that our Party has no special interests of its own other than the interests of the country, the nation, and the people; it never represents the interests of any special interest group, power clique, or privileged stratum. Creating achievements is never for personal gain but for the benefit of the people—this is the fundamental purpose and guarantee of our Party’s long-term governance.

The Party’s political stance and fundamental tenet inherently define the relationship between the Party and the people as one of service and being served. During the Revolutionary War period, Comrade Mao Zedong pointed out: "All our working cadres, whatever their rank, are servants of the people, and whatever we do is to serve the people." At the Party's 8th National Congress, Comrade Deng Xiaoping noted: "The party of the working class does not regard the masses as its tool, but consciously identifies itself as a tool of the masses for completing specific historical tasks during a specific historical period." Entering the New Era, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "The Party's officials are all public servants; they should naturally fulfill their duties in their positions, being both clean and diligent, both honest and active." He emphasized: "The Party's officials must be public servants of the people, loyal to the people, taking the people's worries and joys as their own, and serving the people heart and soul." This positioning as public servants fundamentally clarifies the value stance, functional role, and work style requirements of leading officials. They must always remember they are servants of the people and must never allow "role alienation" to occur. At all times, they must maintain a thorough people’s stance, persist in the value orientation of producing achievements for the people, and remember that their power is granted by the Party and the people to be used for the Party and the people. They must create achievements that satisfy the people within the practice of serving them.

Establishing and practicing a correct outlook on performance requires that Party officials must never deviate from the Party's political stance and fundamental tenet. In reality, a few leading officials, in order to fish for so-called "political resources," clear "relational channels," or obtain "personal achievements," do not hesitate to associate with "political brokers" or fall prey to "political swindlers." [9] They allow themselves to be coerced by certain special interest groups, "giving the green light" to specific people in ways that harm the interests of the masses, alienating the power given by the people—intended to benefit the people—into a tool for "benefiting oneself" or for the profit of a few. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "It is only natural for public servants to be responsible to the people. This relationship cannot be reversed. Any Party member or official has only the responsibility and obligation to serve the people, and possesses no power to act as a 'lordly official'." [10] This serves as a profound reminder that we must take whether the people support, approve, are happy with, and agree with us as the fundamental standard for measuring the success of all work, ensuring that during one's tenure in office, one benefits the locality.

The outlook on performance is directly related to the Party's ideological line and work style

The outlook on performance belongs to the level of ideological concepts, but it is by no means just an abstract concept; it must be manifested in concrete practice, clarifying what kind of thinking methods, practical paths, and work styles are maintained. As Comrade Xi Jinping pointed out in Zhijiang Xinyu: "The fundamental way to build achievements is to combine the immediate interests of the masses with their long-term interests, respect objective laws, act according to objective laws, and work in a down-to-earth manner." To establish and practice a correct outlook on performance, one must comprehensively implement the ideological line of seeking truth from facts and the work style of being realistic and pragmatic. One must follow the objective laws of the development of things, persist in proceeding from reality in all matters, and insist on producing achievements for the people through solid work.

Seeking truth from facts is the essence of Marxism, and proceeding from reality in all things is the fundamental principle of the Marxist worldview. A key aspect that fundamentally distinguishes materialism from idealism is the insistence on proceeding from objective reality rather than from subjective desires. During the Yan'an Rectification Movement [11], Comrade Mao Zedong, in the process of clearing away the errors of subjectivism, creatively combined the fundamental Marxist principle of proceeding from reality in all things with the idea of "seeking truth from facts" [12] found in excellent traditional Chinese culture. He gave prominence to the necessity of integrating theory with practice, discovering the laws of development from objective reality, and formulating correct lines, principles, and policies. This established an ideological line of proceeding from reality in all things, integrating theory with practice, seeking truth from facts, and testing and developing truth through practice. Throughout the long historical process of revolution, construction, and reform, our Party has continuously enriched and developed this ideological line and implemented it in the practice of serving the people, forming a fine tradition and work style of being realistic and pragmatic [13], and taking a practical approach to earnest work.

A correct outlook on performance vividly embodies and comprehensively implements the Party's ideological line. General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized: "A correct outlook on performance requires us to persist in proceeding from reality and acting in accordance with objective laws. Through scientific decision-making and earnest, hard work, we must create achievements that can withstand the test of practice and history, truly benefit the people, and earn the recognition of the masses." This important discourse profoundly elucidates the ideological premise and fundamental path for transforming a correct outlook on performance from a "concept" into "actual results." Persisting in proceeding from reality means requiring leading cadres to base their thinking, actions, and decisions on objective facts rather than on subjective imaginings or bookish dogmas divorced from reality. They must act according to their own conditions and actual possibilities, rather than acting recklessly or stubborny in defiance of reality—and they must certainly not, for the sake of padding their performance record, disregard reality by trying to think of or do everything at once. Acting in accordance with objective laws requires people to act—based on a correct understanding of objective reality and a profound grasp of the laws of development—by following the inherent, essential, inevitable, and stable connections within things, rather than acting with subjective whim, recklessness, or disorder.

To establish and practice a correct outlook on performance, leading cadres must grasp the "general direction" by closely aligning with the overall situation of the causes of the Party and the state, and pinpoint the "starting point" by closely aligning with the specific realities of their own regions, departments, and fields. They must persist in scientific methods of thought and maintain a strong problem-oriented consciousness, going deep into the front lines of reality to conduct investigation and research [14]. They must make and implement scientific decisions that benefit the people, resolve the actual contradictions faced by the development of the times and the practical problems of greatest concern to the masses, and create actual achievements that both meet national strategic requirements and fit local needs. In real life, some leading cadres are eager for quick success and instant benefits [15], exercise power whimsically, and make decisions divorced from the masses and reality. They unthinkingly raise grand slogans, set excessively high targets, engage in blind development and redundant construction that exhaust the people and drain resources, and deceive those above while hiding the truth from those below to produce false or "numerical performance" [16]. These cause major losses to the cause of the Party and the state and must be resolutely corrected and rectified.

A correct outlook on performance requires that, in benefiting the people, one must uphold the concept of producing results through practical work and promote a work style of being realistic, pragmatic, and taking a practical approach to earnest work. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "A cadre's courage to take responsibility and take action is both a political character and a duty of public office." He added, "We must practice the standards for good cadres in the new period [17]. We must not be 'muddled officials' who are politically numb and confused, 'lazy officials' who eat their fill all day while doing nothing, 'mediocre officials' who shirk responsibility and lack ambition, or 'corrupt officials' who use power for personal gain and have degenerated." This requires leading cadres to effectively speak the truth, do practical work, dare to act, and be brave in taking responsibility. They must be true to their word and resolute in their actions, resolving contradictions and difficulties through real-world action, and creating performance through solid work. In the process of resolving the people's "urgent, difficult, and anxious" problems [18], they should provide the masses with a more substantial, secure, and sustainable sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security. Making decisions by "slapping one's forehead" [19] based on subjectivism, implementing tasks through formalistic "fancy flourishes" [20], acting bureaucratically by being "only for the superior" rather than "for reality," and utilitarianly pursuing the short-term effects of "quick success and instant benefits"—all of these are serious deviations from the requirements of a correct outlook on performance. Leading cadres must remain vigilant against and correct these erroneous thoughts and behaviors, carry forward the "spirit of the nail" [21], take active initiative, work hard with practical results, and truly create concrete performance for the broad masses, effectively pushing the correct outlook on performance to transform from a scientific concept into the practical effect of benefiting the people.

The issue of the outlook on performance is directly related to the Party's governing goals and governing effectiveness

The fundamental starting point and ultimate goal of a correct outlook on performance is undoubtedly the interests of the masses. In actual life, the interests of the masses are concrete and realistic, and they are distinguished by different levels: there are short-term, local, and superficial interests, as well as long-term, overall, and fundamental interests. Our Party implements the basic principles of materialist dialectics into our outlooks on performance and interests, persisting in the organic integration of long-term strategy and current needs, and the integration of goal-orientation and problem-orientation. What we seek for the masses is not just immediate interests, but long-term interests; not just local interests, but the overall interest; not just superficial interests, but fundamental interests.

Behind the issue of performance lies the governing logic of different types of political parties. It reflects whether governance serves a specific class or stratum and certain social groups, or whether it serves the vast majority of the masses; whether it is for the sake of creating short-term and superficial performance, or for realizing long-term and fundamental interests. In the governing logic of Western political parties, a party represents only a portion of social members—particularly the special interests of certain capital groups—rather than the fundamental and universal interests of the broadest masses of the people. Their governing practice revolves around the election cycle, aiming to win the support of some social members and maintain partisan interests dominated by capital. The pursuit of performance within this governing logic often centers on displaying performance that is visible in the short term and recognized within the governing cycle. During the campaign process, they fixate on certain prominent current issues to declare their governing plans, attempting to win the support of capital syndicates and some voters through policy results with immediate effects. They cannot establish long-term goals for serving the public interest, nor can they formulate strategic plans and policy decisions with long-term effects; they often pursue short-term performance at the cost of sacrificing the people's overall and long-term interests. In short, being short-term, superficial, localized, and deceptive are the obvious characteristics of the performance outlook of ruling parties under the framework of Western party politics.

The governing logic of the Communist Party of China is fundamentally different. The most fundamental basis of our Party's governance lies in the sincere endorsement and firm support of the broadest masses of the people. Our Party's status as the ruling party was achieved by uniting and leading the broadest masses through a long and unremitting revolutionary struggle to overthrow the rule of reactionary classes. The reason our Party has been able to govern for a long time is because of the trust and support of the people, and because of our persistent promotion of the spirit of self-revolution and the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party. The goal of our Party's governance is to gradually realize and consolidate the fundamental interests of the people through the continuous resolution of their local and short-term interests, thereby realizing the people’s aspiration for a better life. The Party's governing goals determine that the effectiveness of the Party's governance is not to be judged by leading cadres themselves or by a portion of beneficiary groups, nor can it be simple measured by development data, nor does it lie in whether it is outwardly grand in form or scale. Rather, it depends on whether it has truly responded to the real concerns of the people, whether it has truly promoted social development and progress, and whether it has realized the people's fundamental interests. It is precisely based on this governing logic that our Party both works hard and looks toward the long term. We are committed to solving current problems without losing our direction. We are not only able to solve the most pressing problems through the formulation and implementation of relevant policies and measures, but also able to gradually realize the people's fundamental interests through the formulation and implementation of long-term development plans.

Establishing and practicing a correct outlook on performance requires leading cadres to settle down and do current work in a down-to-earth manner—doing solid things that warm the people's hearts, stabilize their minds, and win their support, and effectively solving the practical problems that the masses are most concerned about and most need solved in the present. Even more, they must persist in profound historical thinking and grand strategic thinking, maintaining a political resolve that "does not fear floating clouds obscuring the vision" [22]. They must grasp the fundamentals and the key points, plan systematically based on the overall situation, seek long-term, holistic, and fundamental interests for the people, and create achievements that can withstand the test of practice, the people, and history, rather than being limited to short-term, "image-based," or superficial performance of one time or place. In reality, some leading cadres "emphasize the beginning but neglect the end," "emphasize the short-term but neglect the long-term," "emphasize the visible but neglect the invisible," "emphasize the easy but neglect the difficult," and "emphasize the local but neglect the overall." They only care about "current affairs" and not "future affairs," putting the pursuit of near-term effects first, "draining the pond to catch the fish" [23] for the sake of immediate interests and overdrawing the future—even creating the predicament of "the predecessor's performance becoming the successor's burden." This practice of substituting long-term interests with short-term ones and substituting holistic interests with local ones may seem to create "bright performance," but in reality, it harms the fundamental interests of the masses, is incompatible with the requirements of a correct outlook on performance, and seriously affects the Party's governing effectiveness and endangers the Party’s foundation of governance. It must be resolutely corrected.

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "We must do practical things that are visible, tangible, and bring real benefits to the common people, and we must also do good things that lay the groundwork, build the foundation, and benefit the long term for future generations. We must perform both 'conspicuous labor' [24] and 'latent labor,' without being concerned with personal fame, but instead pursuing the good reputation of the masses and the true evaluation that comes after historical sedimentation." Leading cadres must follow the important requirements of General Secretary Xi Jinping, taking the realization, maintenance, and development of the fundamental interests of the broadest masses as the ultimate goal. They must completely, accurately, and comprehensively implementation the New Development Philosophy, accelerate the construction of a New Development Paradigm, and focus on promoting high-quality development, so that the masses truly receive the greatest benefits, their lives are substantially improved, their rights and interests are effectively protected, and their long-term interests are fundamentally guaranteed.

The issue of the outlook on performance is directly related to the Party's political mission and central tasks

General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: "Leading cadres at all levels must establish and practice a correct outlook on performance proceeding from the realization of the Party's missions and tasks." This important discourse profoundly clarifies the intrinsic link between a correct outlook on performance and the Party's political mission and central tasks. Leading cadres must keep in mind that implementing the major decision-making deployments of the Party Central Committee is a political responsibility and a major political task that must be fulfilled. They must truly dedicate themselves to the Party, work day and night for the public, and turn the grand blueprint drawn by the Party Central Committee into a beautiful reality through concrete performance.

From the day of its founding, the Communist Party of China, with a high degree of historical consciousness and powerful historical initiative, has shouldered the major political mission entrusted by history and the people, uniting and leading the people in unremitting struggle to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. For over 100 years, according to the principal contradiction in our society and the actual situation in different periods, our Party has determined central tasks, made scientific decisions, formulated and implemented major strategic deployments, and continuously achieved great victories, laying a solid foundation for the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Entering the New Era, the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation faces unprecedentedly bright prospects; meanwhile, the principal contradiction in our society has also changed. New changes in the principal contradiction have given rise to new missions and tasks. The 20th Party Congress made it clear that from this moment on, the central task of the Communist Party of China is to unite and lead the people of all ethnic groups in the country to comprehensively build a great modern socialist country and achieve the Second Centenary Goal, and to comprehensively promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization. To complete this major political task, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has concentrated the wisdom of the whole Party and society to formulate major strategic plans and make major decision-making deployments. The "15th Five-Year Plan" (2026–2030) [25] recommendations, considered by the Central Committee, carry out top-level design and strategic planning for economic and social development over the next five years. The Fourth Session of the 14th National People's Congress will approve the 15th Five-Year Plan outline. Leading cadres should implement the major decision-making deployments of the Party Central Committee with a more resolute attitude and more powerful measures.

A correct outlook on performance is one that can strengthen Party spirit principles, embody the Party's will, and implement the Party's decisions. It is an outlook on performance that can form a political rapport with the Party's line, principles, and policies, and achieve resonance with the major decision-making deployments of the Party Central Committee. This requires leading cadres to forge political loyalty, strengthen their awareness of Party spirit, and remember that their primary identity is as a Communist Party member and their primary duty is to work for the Party. They must remain loyal to the Party organization and the Party's cause at all times, and maintain a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in ideology, politics, and action at all times. They must have a strong sense of political responsibility, continuously improving their political judgment, political understanding, and political execution, constantly paying attention to what the Party Central Committee is concerned about and what it emphasizes, and profoundly understanding what constitutes the most important interests of the Party and the state and what positions need to be most firmly defended. Establishing and practicing a correct outlook on performance requires leading cadres to...

A sense of responsibility—characterized by "constant concern" [26]—and a spirited drive to proactively undertake assigned tasks should transform the political self-awareness of implementing the Party Central Committee’s major decisions and deployments into concrete actions. To achieve this, we must resolve the prominent contradictions and issues existing within the Party and remove major obstacles to the implementation of the Party Central Committee’s major decisions and deployments. General Secretary Xi Jinping has pointed out: "Formalism and bureaucratism are the great enemies of fulfilling the Party’s missions and tasks in the New Era and on the new journey; they are a deep-seated and persistent ailment [27] within the Party." Formalism and bureaucratism disregard or ignore political responsibilities. This is specifically manifested when some leading officials fail to take responsibility or take action in the face of Party work; when they are paralyzed, slack, or indecisive for long periods in the face of practical problems; or when they turn a blind eye to or bypass contradictions and difficulties. This makes it difficult to implement the Party’s line, principles, and policies, and causes the fervent expectations of the masses to go unfulfilled. Leading officials must examine these persistent ailments from the height of politics, eradicate them from the depths of their ideology, and use a correct performance outlook to profoundly criticize and thoroughly correct them.

At present, for leading officials to establish and practice a correct performance outlook, the key lies in comprehensively, profoundly, and accurately grasping and understanding the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. They must resolutely and vigorously implement the series of major strategic deployments formulated by the Party Central Committee, and undertake and complete the series of key tasks deployed in the "15th Five-Year Plan" [28] outline with a proactive attitude and a work style of seeking truth from facts and doing solid work. We must profoundly understand that the "15th Five-Year Plan" period is a critical stage for consolidating foundations and exerting full force to basically realize socialist modernization. We must maintain strategic resolve and exercise meticulous tactical planning. Major principles—such as upholding the Party's overall leadership, putting the people first, adhering to high-quality development, persisting in comprehensively deepening reform, maintaining the combination of an efficient market and a proactive government, and coordinating development and security—must be implemented across all aspects, fields, and links to ensure that economic and social development always maintains the correct direction.

Closely centering on the implementation of the new development philosophy, the promotion of high-quality development, and the acceleration of the construction of a new development pattern, we must fully implement a series of major strategic deployments, such as building a modernized industrial system and developing new quality productive forces according to local conditions. We must effectively link national global planning with local and specialized planning. In practical work, we must reflect the requirements for unity and integrity in the work of the Party and the state, while also adapting to local conditions, timing, and specific circumstances based on the realities of the respective region or field. This ensures that the major tasks proposed in the "15th Five-Year Plan" outline are substantively implemented and effective, laying a more solid foundation for basically realizing socialist modernization. This is a matter of principled right and wrong [29] with major political significance and direct practical relevance; it is also a direct standard for testing whether a leading official’s Party character is pure, whether their political consciousness is strong, and whether their performance outlook is correct.

The performance outlook is a fundamental issue concerning the Party’s commitment to serving the public and exercising power for the people. Leading officials must deeply study and grasp General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on establishing and practicing a correct performance outlook. They must fully implement the general requirements of "building a party for the public, benefiting the people, making scientific decisions, and doing solid work." They must consistently persist in producing achievements for the people and through solid clinical work, earnestly putting a correct performance outlook into practice and creating new historical undertakings through new and great struggles.

(The author is the Deputy Director of the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) Source: People's Daily (May 21, 2026) Editor: Huihui