Ideological Front | Continuously Deepen Political Rectification Training with the Spirit of Thorough Self-Revolution

Continuously Deepen Political Rectification Training with the Spirit of Thorough Self-Revolution

■ Liu Guangming, Liu Ke, Chen Jiakang

Editor's Note: Chairman Xi has explicitly required that we "carry forward the spirit of thorough self-revolution (彻底的自我革命精神) and continuously deepen political rectification training (政治整训)." Political rectification training is an important pathway for reshaping the People's Army and is the concrete application and unfolding of the Party's self-revolution in the practice of army-building and army-governance. Chairman Xi's strategic deployment linking self-revolution with political rectification training reflects far-sighted thinking aimed at defending the political character of the People's Army and ensuring the red regime (红色江山) endures forever. To consolidate and deepen the results of concentrated political rectification training and to forge the backbone of the strong-army enterprise, we must continuously deepen political rectification training with the spirit of thorough self-revolution, and unceasingly purify thinking (纯净思想), purify the ranks (纯洁队伍), and rectify the ecosystem (纯正生态).

The furnace tempers the original aspiration; the quench forges a loyal soul. Standing at the new historical juncture of building a strong and prosperous military, conducting in-depth ideological rectification (思想整风) and continuously deepening political rectification training requires carrying forward the spirit of thorough self-revolution. "Thorough (彻底)" is the resolve and attitude of self-revolution—it means turning the blade inward (刀刃向内), scraping the bone to cure the poison (刮骨疗毒), neither concealing problems nor evading contradictions. "Deepening (深化)" is the path of advancement and the target orientation of political rectification training—it requires us to move from surface to substance, from symptoms to root causes, and to continuously press forward into greater depth. We must follow Chairman Xi's requirement to "carry forward the spirit of thorough self-revolution and continuously deepen political rectification training," advance comprehensive and systematic governance (标本兼治、系统施治), consolidate and deepen the results of concentrated political rectification training, and drive political army-building (政治建军) to go deeper and become more substantive.

Continuously Brighten the Political Character: Guaranteeing the Eternal Solidity of the Red Regime Through an Army That Never Degenerates

Political nature is the essential attribute of the military, and political problems must be resolved through political means. Chairman Xi has explicitly emphasized that "political rectification training must highlight the political work of returning to the source and restoring orthodoxy (正本清源)," pointing the way for deepening political rectification training on the new journey. To continuously deepen political rectification training with the spirit of thorough self-revolution, one must first stand firm on political positions and grasp political logic, insisting on viewing and grasping matters from a political perspective, and always keeping taut the string of speaking politics with a clear banner (旗帜鲜明讲政治). The political character of our military is rooted in its fundamental positioning as an armed group that executes the Party's political tasks, and is manifested in the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly. This character determines that the military must always maintain absolute loyalty to the Party and faithfully fulfill the mission tasks entrusted by the Party and the people; it must forever be rooted among the people and maintain flesh-and-blood ties with the masses. Once deviations and hidden dangers appear at this level, once bacteria and viruses breed, the harm is extreme—we must grip this tightly without letting go, address the root causes, and see it through to the end. Through sustained and in-depth political forging (政治锻造), we must thoroughly eliminate political dust and ideological impurities, purge the lingering poison and accumulated malpractices (流毒积弊), and achieve self-purification, self-improvement, self-renewal, and self-elevation. Only in this way can we ensure the forces are absolutely loyal, absolutely pure, and absolutely reliable; ensure the barrel of the gun is always in the hands of those who are loyal and reliable to the Party; and ensure the People's Army is always a heroic force that the Party and the people can fully trust.

Since the 18th Party Congress, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has led the People's Army to deepen political rectification training and advance political army-building with unprecedented resolve and intensity. The People's Army has held fast to its roots and soul, set off on a path of rapid development, and won the initiative in advancing toward first-class status. At the same time, we must soberly recognize that deepening political rectification training by highlighting the political work of returning to the source and restoring orthodoxy remains an ongoing process. Chairman Xi's emphasis that "there must absolutely be no one in the military who harbors a divided heart toward the Party (对党怀有二心), and there must absolutely be no place for corrupt elements to hide" carries profound political significance. The essence of corruption is the abuse of power. Our Party is the people's party, and our military is the people's army; using power for personal gain is behavior that departs from the nature, purpose, and character of our Party and military—it is in essence political betrayal, disloyalty to the Party and the people. We must especially recognize that corruption in the military differs from corruption in other domains: it erodes the principle of the Party commanding the gun (党指挥枪), endangers the governing foundation of the Party, and directly affects the rise and fall, survival and demise of the Party and the state. To win the defensive battle of defending the political character of the People's Army and ensuring the eternal solidity of the red regime, we must win the annihilation campaign (歼灭战) against the adverse current of corruption, and win this major political struggle that we cannot afford to lose and absolutely must not lose. We must deeply appreciate from this height the standards and requirements of political rectification training in the current and coming period, continuously add steel and temper in the great furnace of political forging, and truly forge ourselves into "steel in the political sense (政治上的钢铁)." Leading cadres must take the lead in resisting the unhealthy tendencies of seeking private gain and engaging in corruption; frequently brush away "ideological dust (思想尘)," often reflect on "the harm of greed (贪欲害)," and regularly vanquish "the thief within the heart (心中贼)"; correctly handle the relationships between public and private, righteousness and interest, gain and loss; consciously 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; and set benchmarks and serve as models for officers and soldiers through a work style and actual conduct of loyalty, integrity, and responsibility.

Continuously Carry Forward the Red Bloodline: Guaranteeing That Wholesome Conduct Prevails Through the Return of Fine Traditions

The journey has been brilliant; the path has been bathed in blood and glory. Over the course of prolonged practice, the People's Army has advanced under the Party's banner, formed a complete set of principles for army-building and army-governance, developed the strategy and tactics of people's war, and cultivated its distinctive glorious traditions and fine conduct. These are the treasured family heirlooms (传家法宝) by which the People's Army has moved from victory to victory, and the red bloodline that the People's Army must never forget. Chairman Xi has profoundly summarized the great forces manifested in our military's march from victory to victory—the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, ideals and convictions, reform and innovation, the fighting spirit (战斗精神), revolutionary discipline, and unity between the military and the people—and has identified "restoring and carrying forward the fine traditions of political work" as one of the priority tasks for advancing political army-building on the new journey, requiring the entire military to solidly advance the project of passing the red gene from generation to generation (红色基因代代传工程). To continuously deepen political rectification training with the spirit of thorough self-revolution, one must trace back to the roots and consolidate the foundation (寻根溯源、固本培元), and treat restoring and carrying forward the fine traditions of our Party and military as important content—only then can the People's Army preserve its purity and glory forever and let wholesome conduct become ever more prevalent.

Whether fine traditions can truly be inherited and carried forward depends critically on whether tracing back to the roots has been comprehensive and thorough, whether the original aspiration and mission have been firmly established, and whether the root problems in thinking have been thoroughly resolved. Under conditions of long-term governance, factors that weaken the Party's advanced nature and damage the Party's purity are ever-present, and dangers that violate the original aspiration and mission and shake the Party's foundation are everywhere. These negative factors can very easily erode the ideals and convictions, Party character cultivation, and official virtue and personal character of Party member cadres. If not strictly guarded against and promptly rectified, over time they will inevitably become entrenched—small problems will become large problems, small seepages will become major collapses. Continuously deepening political rectification training requires closely focusing on the foundational questions (初心之问): "What did you join the Party to do, what did you enlist to do, what did you become a commander to do?" We must deeply examine thinking, temper Party character, and clear away confusion; sweep away ideological dust and purge lingering poison and accumulated malpractices. Leading cadres, especially senior cadres, must lead by example and take the initiative in restoring and carrying forward the fine traditions of our Party and military; take the lead in self-revolution; summon the courage to set aside face, expose shortcomings, and reveal faults; and with an attitude of digging deep to the roots and touching the soul, conduct in-depth examination and correction of problems, using their own uprightness, cleanliness, and firmness to drive a demonstration effect. We must treat the grassroots as fertile ground for carrying forward fine traditions, actively explore the laws and beneficial practices of grassroots building under new circumstances, innovate pathways and practical vehicles for transmission, and let fine traditions take root, blossom, and bear fruit at the grassroots level.

Continuously Elevate Capabilities and Competencies: Guaranteeing the Inevitable Success of the Strong-Army Enterprise Through Iron-Shouldered Responsibility

Political rectification training must train out both political loyalty and hard-core capabilities. To continuously deepen political rectification training with the spirit of thorough self-revolution, we must focus on elevating capabilities and tempering the competency to win battles (胜战本领), on the basis of firmly casting the military soul. Chairman Xi has emphasized: "Among the various capabilities required for cadres to do their work well, political capability is paramount." This profoundly reveals the commanding position of political capability within the multi-dimensional capability system of Party member cadres. Theoretical cultivation is in turn "the most fundamental competency (最根本的本领)" among these—it is the foundation of political capability. Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, as the Party's innovative theory for the new era, is the fundamental source for Party member cadres to elevate political quality and the capacity to fulfill their duties. Through political rectification training, we must educate and guide the broad ranks of Party member cadres to genuinely study, understand, and apply it thoroughly; to truly study, truly understand, truly believe, and truly use it; to transform it into firm political conviction, a scientific mode of thinking, and powerful practical capability; to ensure that in complex situations they grasp the correct direction, in major struggles they stand firm on their positions, and in preparing for and fighting wars they take on responsibility and act. In particular, the worldview and methodology of the "Six Must Persists (六个必须坚持)" and the military view and methodology of the "Five Persists (五个坚持)" are deep nourishment for forging the capabilities and competencies of Party member cadres—these must be fully absorbed and effectively transformed into solid qualities, so as to truly shoulder the era's weighty responsibility of building a strong and prosperous military.

This year marks the opening year of the "14th Five-Year Plan" period [Note: the original text reads "15th Five-Year Plan (十五五)" opening year], as well as a critical year for fighting the decisive battle to achieve the centenary goal of army-building (建军一百年奋斗目标). Deepening political rectification training in this special year requires emphasizing the strengthening of capabilities and competencies, and building up solid confidence for the strong-army enterprise and winning battles. We must deeply recognize that the more thorough the rectification training, the more capabilities are guaranteed as a baseline, the more solid the foundation for tackling hard battles, and the more assured the strong-army enterprise. We must use political rectification training as a "whetstone" to temper comprehensive quality, achieving coordinated development of human capabilities and qualities alongside strong-army practice. Persist in using theoretical arming to consolidate the foundation of capabilities; persist unwaveringly in using Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to forge unity of mind and soul; deeply implement Xi Jinping's Thought on Strengthening the Military (习近平强军思想), drawing from it the wisdom and strength to overcome difficulties. Persist in using problems to force the filling of capability gaps; measure against the strong-army goals and the requirements of preparing for and fighting wars; conduct in-depth examination of deficiencies in strategic quality (战略素养), joint operations quality (联合素养), command quality (指挥素养), and science and technology quality (科技素养); and with the courage to turn the blade inward, break through fixed thinking patterns and path dependence, and develop the hard skills of forcing strength through strength. Persist in tempering the sharp edge of capabilities in the furnace of practice; reflect the results of political rectification training in the intense scenes of military training and war preparation; manifest them in the courage to charge forward while bearing hardship, difficulty, heavy burdens, and danger; and transform the Party's political advantages and organizational advantages into advantages for winning. We must use strict discipline to strengthen rigid execution; through rectification training, further establish and practice a correct view of political achievements (政绩观); achieve real results through hard work; ensure that the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission, and Chairman Xi are implemented without exception in all work toward achieving the centenary goal of army-building on schedule and advancing the modernization of national defense and the military at high quality; and use iron discipline to guarantee delivery on time and reporting of completion as scheduled.

(Authors' affiliation: Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, National Defense University)