Political Work

Strong Military Forum | Use Iron Rules to Ensure That Getting Things Done Stays on Course

强军论坛丨用铁规矩保证干事创业不偏航

PLA Daily (解放军报) 4 June 2026

Summary

A political theory article in PLA media, authored by a faculty member at Army Engineering University, uses the case of Yang Yegong — a Rocket Force base commander held up as a model of integrity — to argue that strict Party discipline is the precondition for legitimate military performance, explicitly warning against 'face projects,' inflated metrics, and self-serving conduct by unit commanders. The article's direct reference to the revised CCP Disciplinary Sanctions Regulations and its targeting of 'image projects' and 'political performance projects' documents an active institutional campaign to address falsified readiness and performance reporting within the officer corps. This fits the recurring PLA political work problem of commanders gaming evaluation metrics — a structural incentive problem the Party has repeatedly acknowledged but not resolved — and provides a baseline record of how Army Engineering University faculty are framing discipline enforcement for junior and mid-grade officers in this cycle.

Translation

Use Iron Rules to Ensure That Getting Things Done Stays on Course

— A Series of Discussions on Establishing and Practicing a Correct Outlook on Political Performance (正确政绩观)

■ Zhang Haifeng

Yang Yegong, the "model commander who faithfully fulfilled his mission," upheld two positions throughout his life: one was the missile position where he wielded the sword for the nation, and the other was the position of integrity and clean governance. When Yang Yegong served as base commander, he handled large amounts of funds every year. He strictly observed Party discipline and military regulations, and insisted on spending "every copper coin" on combat readiness and warfighting, continuously driving improvements in the unit's combat capability. His story tells us: when discipline is hard, conduct is solid; when conduct is solid, political performance is genuine. Strict discipline has always been an important guarantee for Communists to get things done and achieve meritorious accomplishments.

Chairman Xi has pointed out: "Discipline is the 'measuring rod' (戒尺) for governing the Party, and also the standard and guide by which Party members and cadres constrain their own conduct." In the way of governance, self-cultivation is the foundation; in the essentials of accomplishment, observing discipline comes first. Discipline is the "tightening spell" (紧箍咒) that constrains words and deeds, and also the "talisman" (护身符) for getting things done. Political performance that can truly withstand the test of history, practice, and the people has always been the product of disciplinary constraint. Political performance that lacks disciplinary constraint, with no foundation of clean governance beneath it, is ultimately a castle in the air. Only by strictly observing discipline and rules, conducting oneself with integrity, performing duties with impartiality, and handling affairs with clean hands, can one solidly lay the foundation of one's undertaking, forge the backbone of political performance, and achieve a first-rate cause.

In real life, there are still individual Party members and cadres who disregard Party discipline and military regulations, who are keen on pursuing "face projects" (面子工程) and "numerical political performance" (数字政绩), and who engage in irregular operations and boundary-crossing conduct in order to pad their performance records. In doing so, they may appear to have "bright spots" in the short term, but in reality they bury risks and hidden dangers and harm the interests of officers and soldiers. The newly revised "Regulations of the Chinese Communist Party on Disciplinary Sanctions" explicitly brings "image projects" (形象工程) and "political performance projects" (政绩工程) within the scope of political discipline constraints, fully demonstrating the Party Central Committee's clear attitude and firm resolve to use iron rules to correct deviations in political performance and purify the ecosystem for getting things done.

Discipline is like a ruler, calibrating the direction of political performance. The greatest fear in getting things done is drifting off course and becoming impetuous and hollow. Discipline is a live-wire "high-voltage line," and also a "pass" for getting things done. Some Party members and cadres mistakenly set giving play to subjective initiative in opposition to strictly observing discipline and rules, feeling that discipline and rules are constraints that hinder them from displaying their talents. In reality, strictly observing discipline and rules is the greatest source of confidence for getting things done, and also the best protection for the growth and progress of Party members and cadres. Only by understanding the rules and observing discipline can one hold the correct direction, not cross the bottom line, and ensure that getting things done stays on course, does not deviate, and proceeds steadily toward the long term. As the saying goes, without rules, nothing can be accomplished. Only when Party members and cadres consciously place discipline and rules in the first position, strictly observe work procedures and codes of conduct, dare to think and dare to act, and maintain self-discipline and a pragmatic approach, can they continuously create new achievements and win new glory.

The stricter the rules, the more stable the conduct; the clearer the discipline, the more solid the political performance. Strict discipline delineates the boundaries of power and the bottom line of conduct. Military Party members and cadres must eliminate the abuse of power, abandon hollow political performance and self-serving political performance (功利政绩), and ensure that power always serves the troops and serves combat capability building. Any so-called "political performance" that violates the discipline of clean governance, no matter how dazzling it may appear, cannot withstand the test of practice. Facts have proven that no matter what political performance is involved, it must have clean governance as its base color and correct exercise of power as its guarantee.

The "excellent quality" of political performance lies in serving the public rather than the private, serving the collective rather than the individual. Deviations in the outlook on political performance (政绩观) often begin with a blurring of the boundary between public and private and a collapse of the ideological line of defense. Only when Party members and cadres maintain a heart devoted to the public, use discipline to safeguard fairness and impartiality, and achieve the state of "the heart unmoved by the temptation of petty gain, the eyes undazzled by the confusion of the five colors" (心不动于微利之诱，目不眩于五色之惑), can they, through a clear distinction between public and private, build an impregnable wall against corruption and degeneration, and through hard work and a sense of responsibility create solid and tangible achievements.

(Author's unit: Army Engineering University)

Original Chinese

用铁规矩保证干事创业不偏航 ——树立和践行正确政绩观系列谈 ■张海峰 “忠诚履行使命的模范指挥员”杨业功，一生坚守两个阵地：一个是为国仗剑的导弹阵地，另一个是清正廉洁的气节阵地。杨业功当基地司令员时，每年经手大量经费，他严守党纪军规，坚持把“每一个铜板”都花在备战打仗上，推动部队战斗力建设不断提升。他的故事告诉我们，纪律硬则作风实，作风实则政绩真。严明的纪律始终是共产党人干事创业、建功立业的重要保障。习主席指出：“纪律是管党治党的‘戒尺’，也是党员、干部约束自身行为的标准和遵循。”为政之道，修身为本；成事之要，守纪为先。纪律是约束言行的“紧箍咒”，也是干事创业的“护身符”。真正经得起历史、实践和人民检验的政绩，从来都是纪律约束下的成果。缺少纪律约束的政绩，没有廉洁托底，终究是空中楼阁。唯有严守纪律规矩，清白做人、公正履职、干净做事，方能打牢事业根基、浇筑政绩脊梁、成就一流事业。现实生活中，仍有个别党员干部漠视党纪军规，热衷于搞“面子工程”“数字政绩”，为凑政绩违规操作、越界行事。如此一来，看似短期“有亮点”，实则埋下风险隐患，损害官兵利益。新修订的《中国共产党纪律处分条例》，明确将“形象工程”“政绩工程”纳入政治纪律约束范畴，充分彰显了党中央以铁律纠治政绩偏差、净化干事生态的鲜明态度和坚定决心。纪律如尺，校准政绩方向。干事创业最怕偏离正轨、浮躁虚浮。纪律是带电的“高压线”，更是干事创业的“通行证”。有的党员干部错误地将发挥主观能动性同严守纪律规矩对立起来，觉得纪律规矩是条条框框，影响自己施展才华。实际上，严守纪律规矩是干事创业的最大底气，也是对党员干部成长进步的最好保护。只有明规矩、守纪律，才能把正方向、不越底线，确保干事创业不偏航、不走样、行稳致远。俗话说，没有规矩，不成方圆。党员干部只有自觉把纪律规矩放在第一位，严格遵守工作规程和行为准则，敢想敢为、自律务实，才能不断创造新的业绩、赢得新的荣光。规矩越严，行事越稳；纪律越明，政绩越实。严明的纪律划定权力边界和行为底线。军队党员干部必须杜绝权力滥用，摒弃虚浮政绩、功利政绩，确保权力始终服务于兵、服务于战斗力建设。凡是违背廉洁纪律的所谓“政绩”，哪怕再光鲜亮眼，都经不起实践检验。事实证明，不管任何政绩，都要以清廉为底色，以正确用权为保证。政绩的“优良品质”，在于为公不为私，为大家不为小家。政绩观出现偏差，往往是从公私界限模糊、思想防线失守开始的。党员干部只有保持一颗公心，用纪律守护公平公正，做到“心不动于微利之诱，目不眩于五色之惑”，才能在公私分明中筑牢拒腐防变的铜墙铁壁，以奋斗担当创造实实在在的业绩。（作者单位：陆军工程大学）