Personnel Political Work

Deeply Study and Implement Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building | Persist in Building a High-Quality Cadre Force Capable of Shouldering the Responsibility of National Rejuvenation

深入学习贯彻习近平党建思想｜坚持建设堪当民族复兴重任的高素质干部队伍

PLA Daily (解放军报) 10 August 2026

Summary

A PLA political work article elaborates the third of Xi Jinping's 'Fourteen Persists' on Party building as it applies to military cadre development, laying out the doctrinal basis, historical lineage from the Gutian Conference and the Sixth Plenum of the Sixth Central Committee, and three operational principles: Party management of cadres, the five-point 'good cadre' standard (loyalty, war planning, responsibility, performance, integrity), and strict management combined with care. The article documents how the PLA frames cadre selection and political reliability as the institutional foundation for combat readiness, explicitly tying personnel standards to the centenary military-founding goals and the 'Two Establishments' and 'Two Safeguards' formulas. Its value is as a baseline record of how the institution currently packages cadre ideology for mid-level officers, not as evidence of a policy shift.

Translation

The key to governance lies in obtaining the right people; the foremost concern in governing the country is the use of personnel. As one of the substantive elements of the "Fourteen Persists" of Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building, "persisting in building a high-quality cadre force capable of shouldering the responsibility of national rejuvenation" clarifies the goals, tasks, and practical paths for advancing cadre and talent force development under new circumstances, enriches and develops the contemporary connotations of our Party's standards for cadres, and provides a fundamental guide for selecting and employing the right people. To deeply study and implement Xi Jinping's Thought on Party Building, we must build a high-quality cadre force capable of shouldering the responsibility of national rejuvenation from a higher vantage point, with stricter standards and more substantive measures, so as to provide strong support for comprehensively advancing the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation through Chinese-path modernization (中国式现代化).

The way to build a strong military lies in obtaining the right people. The cadre force is the backbone strength driving the development of the Party's and the people's cause, and is the key support for realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. To advance the modernization of national defense and the armed forces at high quality, there must be a cadre force that is politically strong, adapted to the requirements of the new era, and capable of leading modernized construction. Striding forward on the new journey of military strengthening, in the face of a complex and volatile international situation and the arduous and heavy tasks of war preparedness and fighting, we must firmly grasp the general requirements for Party building in the new era, build a high-quality cadre force capable of shouldering the responsibility of national rejuvenation, and lay a solid talent foundation for continuously opening up new vistas in military strengthening and development.

Once the political line is determined, cadres are the decisive factor. Building a high-quality cadre force, as a fundamental principle and fine tradition of the Chinese Communist Party in governing the Party, the country, and the military, has deep theoretical origins, historical accumulation, and practical demands, and must be upheld and developed with unswerving consistency.

The fundamental tenet of Marxist party building. The theory and practice of Marxist party building have always placed cadre force development in an important position, emphasizing that a proletarian party should possess a high-quality cadre force. Marx and Engels once put forward some basic views on cadre force development from the perspective of maintaining the Party's advanced nature and purity, holding that for a proletarian party to fulfill its historical mission, it cannot do without the strong guarantee provided by a high-quality cadre force. Lenin elaborated more specifically on the quality of state organs and their personnel, pointing out that improving state organs should follow the principle of "fewer but better," and that "people with genuinely modern qualities" should be concentrated. It is thus evident that advancing the development of the cause by attaching great importance to cadre force development is an intrinsic political consciousness of Marxist parties. These important ideas provide important theoretical origins and practical guidance for our Party's efforts to strengthen the building of a high-quality cadre force in the new era.

The fine traditions and valuable experience of our Party and our military. Building a high-quality cadre force is a concentrated embodiment of the unique advantage of the people's armed forces in building the military through political means (政治建军), and is an important magic weapon by which the Party has led the people's armed forces from one victory to the next. As early as the initial period of the military's founding, the Gutian Conference established the principles of ideological Party building and political military building, laying the fundamental institutional foundation for our military's cadre force development. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, the Sixth Plenary Session of the Sixth Central Committee of the Party explicitly put forward the important idea of "the Party manages cadres" (党管干部), established the principles of "appointing people on their merits" (任人唯贤) and "combining virtue with ability" (才德兼备) for selecting and employing personnel, and provided strong talent guarantees for victory in the War of Resistance Against Japan and the War of Liberation. After the founding of New China, the Party led the people's armed forces in active practice, explored a complete set of theoretical systems for cadre force development with Chinese characteristics, forged a cadre force that bravely shouldered its historical mission, and achieved major results in theoretical innovation, practical innovation, and institutional innovation. History has fully proven that it is precisely because of the continuous cultivation and development of one outstanding cadre after another that the people's armed forces have always been able to remain full of vitality and maintain their purity and glory.

A strategic measure for advancing the modernization of national defense and the armed forces at high quality. Advancing the modernization of national defense and the armed forces at high quality is an inherent requirement of advancing Chinese-path modernization. Chairman Xi has pointed out that to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics, the key lies in the Party, the key lies in people, and ultimately lies in cultivating and developing generation after generation of reliable successors. At present, the great changes unseen in a century are accelerating, the international strategic landscape is undergoing profound adjustments, the risks and challenges facing our country's national security are growing increasingly complex, and higher demands are being placed on the modernization of national defense and the armed forces. At the same time, the people's armed forces are at a critical period for realizing the centenary struggle goals of the military's founding, and the tasks of reform, development, and stability are unprecedentedly heavy, as are the contradictions, risks, and challenges. Only by building a strong backbone force for military strengthening in the new era can we respond to risks and challenges, consolidate the foundation of military strengthening, and accelerate the pace of military strengthening at this critical stage of climbing the slope and tackling difficulties, improving quality and increasing efficiency.

Building a high-quality cadre force concerns the rise and fall, success and failure of the great cause of military strengthening, and concerns the purity and glory of the people's armed forces. We must closely center on the Party's central tasks on the new journey in the new era, get the political direction right in practice, establish value orientation, and strictly implement systems.

Uphold Party management of cadres and organizational selection of personnel. Upholding Party management of cadres and organizational selection of personnel is a major political and organizational principle of our Party and our military, and is the fundamental remedy for building a high-quality cadre force. As early as August 1931, the "Resolution of the CPC Central Committee on the Question of Cadres" pointed out: "The promotion and transfer of cadres must strictly go through the organization." Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, Chairman Xi has attached great importance to the development of the military's cadre and talent force, repeatedly emphasized the extreme importance of upholding Party management of cadres and organizational selection of personnel, made great efforts to purify the cadre force, and provided important organizational guarantees and talent support for ensuring the Party's absolute leadership over the military and for advancing military strengthening and development. On the road ahead, Party organizations at all levels, as the responsible subjects for selecting and employing personnel, must always play a leading and gatekeeping role throughout the entire process of cadre selection and appointment, strictly recommend and employ cadres in accordance with principles, policies, rules, and procedures, select and make good use of cadres capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility of military strengthening, and satisfy the organization and the officers and soldiers.

Uphold the implementation of the standards for good cadres. Employ one worthy person and a multitude of worthy persons will come; when people see the worthy and aspire to emulate them, it becomes a prevailing trend. What standards to use in selecting people, and what kind of people to select, has always been the primary question in cadre work. Chairman Xi has emphasized that the standards for good cadres in the military are: loyalty to the Party, proficiency in planning for war, courage to take responsibility, outstanding performance, and integrity and clean governance (对党忠诚、善谋打仗、敢于担当、实绩突出、清正廉洁). These standards, oriented toward the practice of military construction and development in the new era, clarify the principled requirements for high-quality cadres capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility of military strengthening, and embody a high degree of unity between the common standards for the Party's good cadres and the special requirements of the military. On the road ahead, we must comprehensively and accurately understand and grasp the standards for good military cadres, fully implement these standards in every aspect of cadre work, establish them as rigid requirements for selecting and employing personnel, transform them into effective mechanisms for selecting and employing personnel, internalize them as the ethos and orientation for selecting and employing personnel, precisely select and strengthen the backbone at all levels, and truly forge a strong cadre force capable of shouldering the heavy responsibility of military strengthening.

Uphold the combination of strict management and generous care. Good cadres are selected, but even more so they are managed. Upholding the combination of strict management and generous care is a consistent principle of our Party's cadre management and is also a key move for stimulating the intrinsic motivation and overall vitality of the cadre force. Chairman Xi has pointed out: "Being strict does not mean managing everyone to death, making people hesitant and timid, creating a stagnant pool of gloom and inaction, but rather, through clarifying direction, establishing rules, rectifying conduct, and strengthening immunity, forming a clean and upright intra-Party political ecology, creating a good environment conducive to getting things done and starting undertakings, and further mobilizing the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of the entire Party." On the road ahead, we must uphold the combination of strict management and generous care: resolutely implement the requirements of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline (全面从严治党) and comprehensively governing the military with strict discipline (全面从严治军), keep a close watch on key links in the exercise of power, strictly enforce discipline and rules, and rigorously pursue accountability; and also fully understand, trust, care for, and love cadres, implement the "three distinctions" (三个区分开来), work hard to eliminate all factors that hinder cadres from taking responsibility and acting, and continuously boost the spirit and state of getting things done and starting undertakings.

Each generation has its own Long March road; each generation has its own mission and responsibility. With an eye toward realizing the Party's mission and tasks on the new journey in the new era, striving to reach the centenary of the military's founding and advancing toward a first-class military, there is an even greater need to cultivate and develop a high-quality cadre force capable of shouldering the responsibility of national rejuvenation, and to advance on the new journey and achieve merit in the new era with full enthusiasm and full readiness.

Strengthen political standards and forge unswerving loyalty to the Party. The Chinese Communist Party is a Marxist party with lofty political ideals, noble political pursuits, pure political character, and strict political discipline. As an armed group executing the Party's political tasks, the people's armed forces require their cadres to first be politically strong. This requires us to always place political development at the forefront of cadre force development. On one hand, we must consolidate the ideological foundation, continuously deepen the arming of cadres with the Party's innovative theories, routinely carry out political education and Party spirit tempering (党性淬炼), continuously improve the cadre force's political judgment, political comprehension, and political execution, and ensure that the barrel of the gun is always in the hands of those who are loyal and reliable to the Party. On the other hand, we must strictly enforce political discipline and political rules, educate and guide cadres throughout the military to resolutely safeguard the authority of the Party Central Committee and its centralized and unified leadership, firmly support the "Two Establishments" (两个确立) and resolutely achieve the "Two Safeguards" (两个维护), implement the system of Chairman of the Central Military Commission responsibility, and always maintain a high degree of consistency with the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core in terms of political stance, political direction, political principles, and political path.

Temper capabilities and qualities, and improve the ability to win battles. When you aim at a target, things are easy to accomplish; when you aim at nothing, things are hard to accomplish. Being able to fight and win battles is the core function of the military, and is also the starting point and ultimate goal of cadre force development. Divorced from war preparedness and fighting, cadre force development loses its meaning and value; only by establishing and implementing combat effectiveness as the sole and fundamental standard can cadre force development be invigorated. On one hand, we must strengthen ideological education, guide our military's cadres to firmly establish the fighting-force mindset (战斗队思想), truly think about matters of war, truly plan for the problems of war, truly prepare for war, and through concentrating efforts on studying military affairs, studying war, and studying fighting, develop strong strategic literacy, joint operations literacy, command literacy, and science and technology literacy, so as to understand fighting, excel at strategy, and know how to command, and truly make the standards for fighting rock-solid. On the other hand, we must emphasize practical tempering, closely aligned with the forms of modern warfare and actual combat needs, extensively carry out combat-realistic training (实战化练兵), specialized intensive training (专业化集训), and routine tempering (常态化历练), and guide the broad cadres to brave wind and rain, see the world, strengthen their muscles and bones, and grow their abilities at the front lines of vigorous practice, so as to genuinely temper the strong ability to win battles.

Cultivate an excellent work style and forever preserve purity and glory. An excellent work style is a distinctive characteristic and political advantage of our military, and is an important guarantee for the cadre force to unite in purpose and take responsibility and act. To persistently advance work style development, we must summarize and apply the practical experience and institutional achievements of comprehensively governing the Party with strict discipline and comprehensively governing the military with strict discipline in the new era, implement the deployment requirements for conducting ideological rectification (思想整风) and deepening political consolidation training (政治整训), and truly establish iron rules for strict education, strict management, and strict supervision. On one hand, we must uphold strict and substantive standards, govern work style problems with the strictest standards and the most severe measures, routinely rectify formalism (形式主义), bureaucratism (官僚主义), hedonism (享乐主义), and extravagance and waste (奢靡之风), and through striking hard and acting in earnest, truly make bad conduct a rat crossing the street that everyone shouts to beat, continuously consolidating the purity and glory of the people's armed forces. On the other hand, we must carry forward fine traditions, strengthen education in Party history and military history, guide our military's cadres to learn traditions, love traditions, and speak of traditions, and in inheriting the red genes, guard the ideological line of defense, the bottom line on the exercise of power, the red line of law and discipline, and the boundary of family conduct (家风界线), so as to win the trust and support of officers and soldiers through the fresh appearance of work style development continuously improving and upward, and a new atmosphere of integrity and righteousness continuously rising.

Original Chinese

为政之要，惟在得人；治国之要，首在用人。作为习近平党建思想“十四个坚持”的内涵要义之一，“坚持建设堪当民族复兴重任的高素质干部队伍”明确了新形势下推进干部人才队伍建设的目标任务和实践路径，丰富发展了我们党干部标准的时代内涵，为选好人、用好人提供了基本遵循。深入学习贯彻习近平党建思想，必须以更高站位、更严标准、更实举措建设堪当民族复兴重任的高素质干部队伍，为以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业提供有力支撑。强军之道，要在得人。干部队伍是推进党和人民事业发展的中坚力量，是实现中华民族伟大复兴中国梦的关键支撑。高质量推进国防和军队现代化，必须有一支政治过硬、适应新时代要求、具备领导现代化建设能力的干部队伍。阔步强军新征程，面对错综复杂的国际形势、艰巨繁重的备战打仗任务，必须牢牢把握新时代党的建设总要求，建设堪当民族复兴重任的高素质干部队伍，为不断开辟强军兴军新局面筑牢人才根基。政治路线确定之后，干部就是决定因素。建设高素质干部队伍，作为中国共产党治党治国治军的基本原则和优良传统，有着深厚的理论渊源、历史积淀和现实需求，必须始终不渝地坚持好、发展好。马克思主义政党建设的基本要义。马克思主义政党建设理论和实践，历来把干部队伍建设放在重要位置，强调无产阶级政党应当具备高素质干部队伍。马克思和恩格斯曾从保持党的先进性和纯洁性角度对干部队伍建设提出过一些基本看法，认为无产阶级政党要完成自身肩负的历史使命，离不开高素质的干部队伍提供坚强保障。列宁则更为具体地对国家机关及其工作人员的质量问题进行了阐述，指出改善国家机关应当遵守“宁可数量少些，但要质量高些”的准则，要“把具有真正现代素质的人才”集中起来。可见，通过高度重视干部队伍建设来推进事业发展是马克思主义政党的内在政治自觉。这些重要思想，为我们党在新时代加强高素质干部队伍建设提供了重要的理论渊源和实践指引。我党我军的优良传统和宝贵经验。建设高素质干部队伍，是人民军队政治建军特有优势的集中体现，是党领导人民军队不断从胜利走向胜利的重要法宝。早在建军初期，古田会议就确立了思想建党、政治建军原则，为我军干部队伍建设奠定了根本制度基础；抗战时期，党的六届六中全会明确提出“党管干部”的重要思想，确立了“任人唯贤”“才德兼备”的选人用人原则，为抗日战争、解放战争的胜利提供了坚强人才保障；新中国成立后，党领导人民军队积极实践，探索出一整套具有中国特色的干部队伍建设理论体系，造就了一支勇担历史使命的干部队伍，取得了重大理论创新、实践创新、制度创新成果。历史充分证明，正是因为源源不断培养造就一批又一批优秀干部，人民军队才得以始终充满生机活力、保持纯洁光荣。高质量推进国防和军队现代化的战略举措。高质量推进国防和军队现代化，是推进中国式现代化的应有之义。习主席指出，实现中华民族伟大复兴，坚持和发展中国特色社会主义，关键在党，关键在人，归根到底在培养造就一代又一代可靠接班人。当前，世界百年未有之大变局加速演进，国际战略格局深刻调整，我国国家安全面临的风险挑战日趋复杂，对国防和军队现代化提出了更高要求。与此同时，人民军队正处于实现建军一百年奋斗目标的关键时期，改革发展稳定任务之重、矛盾风险挑战之多，都是前所未有的。唯有建强新时代强军骨干队伍，才能应对风险挑战、夯实强军根基，在爬坡攻坚、提质增效的关键阶段跑出强军加速度。建设高素质干部队伍，事关强军伟业兴衰成败，事关人民军队纯洁光荣。必须紧紧围绕新时代新征程党的中心任务，在实践中把准政治方向，立起价值导向，严格制度落实。坚持党管干部组织选人。坚持党管干部、组织选人，是我党我军重大政治和组织原则，是建设高素质干部队伍的治本之举。早在1931年8月，《中共中央关于干部问题的决议》就指出：“干部的提拔与调动，须严格的经过组织。”党的十八大以来，习主席高度重视军队干部人才队伍建设，多次强调坚持党管干部、组织选人的极端重要性，下大力纯洁干部队伍，为确保党对军队的绝对领导、推进强军兴军提供了重要组织保证和人才支撑。前进道路上，各级党组织作为选人用人的责任主体，必须在干部选拔任用的全过程始终发挥领导和把关作用，严格按原则、按政策、按规矩、按程序推荐和使用干部，把堪当强军重任的干部选准用好，让组织放心、让官兵满意。坚持贯彻好干部标准。用一贤人则群贤毕至，见贤思齐就蔚然成风。以什么样的标准选人，选什么样的人，历来是干部工作的首要问题。习主席强调指出，军队好干部的标准，就是对党忠诚、善谋打仗、敢于担当、实绩突出、清正廉洁。这一标准，着眼新时代军队建设发展实践，明确了担当强军重任高素质干部的原则性要求，体现了党的好干部共性标准与军队特殊要求的高度统一。前进道路上，必须完整准确理解把握军队好干部标准，把这一标准全面落实到干部工作各环节，将其确立为选人用人的刚性要求，转化为选人用人的有效机制，内化为选人用人的风气导向，精准选优配强各级骨干，真正锻造堪当强军重任的过硬干部队伍。坚持严管和厚爱相结合。好干部是选出来的，更是管出来的。坚持严管和厚爱相结合，是我们党干部管理的一贯原则，也是激发干部队伍内生动力和整体活力的关键一招。习主席指出，“严并不是要把大家管死，使人瞻前顾后、畏首畏尾，搞成暮气沉沉、无所作为的一潭死水，而是要通过明方向、立规矩、正风气、强免疫，形成风清气正的党内政治生态，营造有利于干事创业的良好环境，进一步调动全党的积极性、主动性、创造性”。前进道路上，必须坚持严管和厚爱相结合，既坚决贯彻落实全面从严治党、全面从严治军要求，紧盯权力运行关键环节，严明纪律规矩，严肃追责问责；也要充分理解信任关心爱护干部，落实“三个区分开来”，着力消除妨碍干部担当作为的各种因素，不断提振干事创业精神状态。一代人有一代人的长征路，一代人有一代人的使命担当。着眼实现新时代新征程党的使命任务，奋斗建军百年、奋进强军一流，更加需要培养造就堪当民族复兴重任的高素质干部队伍，以满腔热忱、满格状态奋进新征程、建功新时代。强化政治标准，铸牢对党忠诚。中国共产党是具有崇高政治理想、高尚政治追求、纯洁政治品格和严明政治纪律的马克思主义政党。人民军队作为执行党的政治任务的武装集团，其干部必须首先在政治上过得硬。这就要求我们，必须始终把政治建设摆在干部队伍建设首位。一方面，要筑牢思想根基，持续深化党的创新理论武装，常态化开展政治教育、党性淬炼，不断提高干部队伍的政治判断力、政治领悟力、政治执行力，确保枪杆子始终掌握在对党忠诚可靠的人手中；另一方面，要严明政治纪律和政治规矩，教育引导全军干部坚决维护党中央权威和集中统一领导，坚定拥护“两个确立”、坚决做到“两个维护”，贯彻军委主席负责制，始终在政治立场、政治方向、政治原则、政治道路上同以习近平同志为核心的党中央保持高度一致。锤炼能力素质，提高胜战本领。有的放矢事易成，无的放矢事难成。能打仗、打胜仗是军队的核心职能，也是干部队伍建设的出发点和落脚点。脱离备战打仗，干部队伍建设就会失去意义和价值；只有把战斗力这个唯一的根本的标准立起来、落下去，干部队伍建设才能焕发生机和活力。一方面，要加强思想教育，引导我军干部牢固树立战斗队思想，真想打仗的事情、真谋打仗的问题、真做打仗的准备，通过集中精力研究军事、研究战争、研究打仗，具备较强的战略素养、联合素养、指挥素养、科技素养，从而做到懂打仗、善谋略、会指挥，真正把打仗的标准搞过硬；另一方面，要突出实践锻炼，紧扣现代战争形态和实战需求，广泛开展实战化练兵、专业化集训、常态化历练，引导广大干部在火热的实践一线经风雨、见世面、壮筋骨、长才干，切实锤炼能打胜仗过硬本领。培塑优良作风，永葆纯洁光荣。作风优良是我军鲜明特色和政治优势，是干部队伍凝心聚力、担当作为的重要保障。持之以恒推进作风建设，必须总结运用新时代全面从严治党、全面从严治军的实践经验和制度成果，落实开展思想整风、深化政治整训部署要求，切实立起从严教育、从严管理、从严监督的铁规矩。一方面，要坚持从严从实，以最严格的标准、最严厉的举措治理作风问题，常态化整治形式主义、官僚主义、享乐主义和奢靡之风，在出重拳、动真格中让不良风气真正成为过街老鼠，人人喊打，不断巩固人民军队纯洁光荣；另一方面，要弘扬优良传统，加强党史军史学习教育，引导我军干部学传统、爱传统、讲传统，在传承红色基因中守好思想防线、用权底线、法纪红线、家风界线，以作风建设不断向上向好、新风正气不断上扬的崭新面貌，赢得官兵信任拥护。