Tongfang Academy
Micro Party Class · Issue 304
Be adept at using scientific methods to advance reform.
“Theoretical cultivation is the core of the comprehensive quality of Party members and cadres. Theoretical maturity is the foundation for political maturity, and political steadfastness stems from theoretical clarity.” For Party members and cadres, fostering a fine academic ethos and strengthening theoretical education are both fundamental requirements for cultivating Party spirit and an inescapable political responsibility.
Tongfang Law Firm provides all its lawyers with learning opportunities in the form of micro-party classes, thereby enhancing their ideological and political awareness as well as their spirit of learning and inquiry. By establishing a long-term educational mechanism, the firm has created a new platform for self-education and self-improvement.
Reform is a systematic undertaking that calls for a scientific approach. At the opening ceremony of the special seminar for leading officials at provincial and ministerial levels on studying and implementing the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Party, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “We must be adept at using scientific methods to advance reform—planning systematically and acting only after careful deliberation.” To thoroughly implement the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee and to accomplish all reform tasks with high quality, the vast number of Party members and cadres, especially leading officials at all levels, must master and flexibly apply scientific reform methodologies, effectively enhancing their capacity to steer reform and promote development. In doing so, we must ensure that all reform initiatives are in line with objective laws, meet actual work needs, and serve the interests of the masses, so that the tangible outcomes of reform can stand the test of the people.
Advancing our work with a scientific approach is the key to the Party and the country’s continuous march from victory to victory. Mao Zedong once used the metaphors of bridges or boats to underscore the importance of methodology, saying: “If we fail to solve the problem of bridges or boats, talking about crossing the river is mere empty rhetoric. If we don’t address the issue of methodology, any task we set out to accomplish will be nothing but idle chatter.” In this new era of great transformation, the Party Central Committee—with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core—has continuously deepened its understanding of the laws governing reform, thus developing the richest, most comprehensive, and most systematic methodology for reform since the initiation of reform and opening-up. We must profoundly grasp the rich implications and practical requirements of this reform methodology, ensuring that we integrate learning, thinking, and application; unify knowledge, belief, and action; and continually enhance both the quality and effectiveness of reform. We must deeply understand the overarching requirements of “placing greater emphasis on systemic integration, highlighting key priorities, and focusing on the practical effectiveness of reform,” strengthening systems thinking, carefully planning and strategically arranging our efforts, and enhancing the systematic, holistic, and coordinated nature of reform. Upholding both tradition and innovation, and grasping the overall picture while attending to specific details, we must accurately identify reform priorities, tackle the principal contradictions and their dominant aspects, and use strategic, overarching reforms to drive reform forward in greater depth. By tackling tough challenges and setting exemplary models, we should establish and improve scientific and effective mechanisms for promoting reform, ensuring that reform tasks are meticulously planned, thoroughly implemented, and effectively carried out. We must also strengthen public opinion guidance, mobilize all positive factors, and boost public satisfaction through tangible achievements and real results. Moreover, we must scientifically navigate several crucial relationships in reform, such as upholding the unity of reform and the rule of law, maintaining the dialectical unity of demolition and establishment, ensuring the unity of reform and opening-up, and properly balancing deployment and implementation.
Reform involves both demolition and construction; when we grasp the right principles, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort. The deeper reform goes, the more daunting its tasks become—and the more crucial it is to adhere to a scientific methodology of reform. We must emphasize both systems thinking and the courage to venture boldly and experiment fearlessly, employing both top-down design and the approach of “crossing the river by feeling for stones,” so as to better integrate overarching strategies with grassroots exploration. We should be adept at conducting thorough investigations and research, staying true to facts, and gaining a deep and precise understanding of local conditions and specific fields. Based on our region’s development level, resource endowments, functional positioning, and responsibilities, we must formulate reform plans and concrete measures that are truly practical and well-suited to local realities. We should excel at systematic integration and focus on key areas—coordinating not only the alignment of plans but also the synergy in implementation and the coherence of outcomes—so that various measures complement each other, reinforce one another, and create synergies that enhance overall effectiveness. We should concentrate our efforts on those areas where development is most needed, the people have the greatest expectations, the situation is most urgent, and the conditions are most favorable, deploying our strengths strategically and prioritizing reforms that, once implemented, will set off a chain reaction, mobilizing the entire system. We should be skilled at balancing demolition and construction, establishing new frameworks before dismantling old ones. Reform must draw upon existing experience and methods, while also being adept at summarizing, refining, and further developing new approaches. Where reform is necessary, we must resolutely carry it out; where it is unnecessary, we must refrain from making changes. Where new frameworks need to be established, we should proactively and steadily put them into place, ensuring they are solid and sustainable. Where old frameworks need to be dismantled, we should do so promptly, decisively, and thoroughly, achieving steady and sure progress through the unity of demolition and construction. On the premise of clearly defining reform principles and safeguarding the bottom line of safety, we should vigorously promote emancipating our minds, daring to try, daring to explore, and daring to innovate, continuously generating and accumulating fresh experiences that are replicable and scalable. We should promptly elevate practices proven effective in practice into institutional achievements, ultimately rolling them out on a large scale. We should be adept at following the mass line, respecting the people’s spirit of pioneering initiative, going out of government offices and plunging into the frontline grassroots, widely listening to the voices of the people, consciously seeking advice and needs from the masses, and pooling the wisdom and strength of the broadest possible population behind the reform effort. We should be clear about our tasks and firmly implement reform responsibilities. The crux of reform lies in its implementation—and it is precisely here that the greatest challenges lie. We must earnestly shoulder the political responsibility for comprehensively deepening reform, establishing and perfecting working mechanisms that feature clear responsibilities, complete chains, and seamless coordination, thus preventing and overcoming formalism and bureaucratic practices during the reform process. We must measure reform’s success by tangible results and the satisfaction of the people. At the same time, we should treat mistakes made by cadres during reform correctly and with tolerance, protecting those cadres who maintain upright conduct and show keen ambition. We should encourage all cadres to retain their courage, vigor, and dynamism in pursuing reform, and urge them to become steadfast activists and pragmatic practitioners of comprehensive deepening reform.
Everything has its own principles; the key lies in finding the right approach. Further deepening reform in a comprehensive and systematic way involves a broad scope, touches upon profound interests, and presents significant challenges. We must thoroughly study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s series of new ideas, new perspectives, and new judgments on comprehensively deepening reform, using scientific theories to guide practice and employing scientific methods to advance reform. We should continuously enhance the scientific rigor, foresight, initiative, and creativity of our efforts, boost the overall effectiveness of reform, and propel it forward with momentum, steadily and sustainably.
Source | People's Daily Online, Official Website for Party History Study and Education
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Tongfang Academy Micro-Party Class, Issue 305: Uphold Integrity and Promote Innovation to Continuously Achieve New Breakthroughs in Reform
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Tongfang Academy Micro-Party Class, Issue 303: Strengthening Discipline Building Is the Fundamental Solution for Comprehensively and Strictly Governing the Party.
