Jiang Zemin (June 28, 1999)

Comrades:
Today, we are here to have a discussion on the "Three Stresses" education that is being carried out across the country to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. This is of great significance. The speeches made by several comrades just now were very good.
Our party has gone through seventy-eight years
's struggle has united and led the people of all ethnic groups across the country to achieve great achievements in revolution, construction, and reform, and has won the heartfelt support of the people of all ethnic groups across the country. The reason why our party has developed into a strong Marxist ruling party with more than 60 million members today, and can overcome all difficulties and obstacles and constantly create new career realms, is a very important historical experience. Comrade Mao Zedong identified party building as one of the main magic weapons for our party to defeat the enemy and develop and grow. For more than seventy years, our party has persisted in implementing this important historical experience and maintained the party's nature as the vanguard of the working class. The party's combat effectiveness has been continuously enhanced, and its leadership level has been continuously improved.
In the period of peace construction, how to strengthen party building is a major issue that our party has always faced since it came to power. In the revolutionary war years, the baptism of war and harsh environment were severe tests that every Communist often faced. Whether they can go through fire and water, throw their heads and shed blood for the cause of the party and the people is the best test of the party spirit of the majority of party members and leading cadres. Our party made the greatest sacrifice to win national independence and people's liberation and withstood this test. During the period of peace construction, the party's central task was economic construction. The environment changed, living conditions gradually improved, and there were life and death tests, but after all, they did not happen as often as they did in the war years. Under such new historical conditions, the content, form and characteristics of party building are bound to be very different from those during the war years. After the founding of New China, our party has made unremitting efforts and new explorations for this purpose, and has also accumulated a lot of new experience. Although there have been some mistakes and even serious setbacks, in general, we have gradually formed a series of effective measures and methods to strengthen party building during the peaceful construction period. These must continue to be carried forward. After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, Comrade Deng Xiaoping led our party to conscientiously summarize both positive and negative historical experiences, and achieved significant results in exploring ways to strengthen party building in the new era of reform, opening up, and modernization. This process is not over yet and requires the whole party to continue to explore and practice.
The Central Committee decided to focus on the party and government leadership groups and leading cadres at and above the county level across the country for a period of time to carry out in-depth "Three Stresses" education in the spirit of rectification and solve outstanding problems in party spirit and style. This is a new creative exploration carried out by our party to strengthen its own construction. This is the need to maintain the party's advanced nature and purity under the new historical conditions, improve the level of leadership and governance, and enhance the ability to resist corruption, change, and resist risks; it is the need to comprehensively promote party building ideologically, politically, organizationally, and style-wise, and improve the quality of the cadres; it is the need for our party to unite and lead the people in accordance with the strategic deployment of the 15th National Congress to comprehensively advance the great cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics. Effectively carry out the "Three Stresses" education, its significance and influence will be significant and far-reaching.
This "Three Stresses" education is the top priority of the current party building. In accordance with the requirements of the central government, the "Three Stresses" education in various localities and departments is being carried out in phases. Generally speaking, in the previous period, most places and units had clear guiding ideologies, worked conscientiously and solidly, carried out relatively healthily and smoothly, achieved relatively obvious results, and accumulated some good experience. Many comrades have reported that the party's leading cadres have concentrated for a period of time to study Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought, and especially Deng Xiaoping Theory in connection with reality, combine the transformation of the objective world with the transformation of the subjective world, and conscientiously summarize the experience and lessons learned from work practice and party spirit training. This is rare in many years; leading cadres at the provincial and ministerial levels have taken the lead. , carefully investigate and analyze the outstanding problems that exist in the party spirit and style, and analyze them from the perspective of world outlook, outlook on life, and values. This is also rare in many years. It is also rare in many years to fully promote democracy, adhere to the mass line, listen to opinions from all sides, and seriously carry out criticism and self-criticism. This is also rare in many years.
Now, the situation of the development of "Three Stresses" education is good. Party committees at all levels, first of all, are the main leading cadres. They must further strengthen their confidence, make persistent efforts, conscientiously implement the central government's deployment, and always continue to deepen the "three stresses" education with a high sense of responsibility, a serious attitude and full enthusiasm.
Talking about learning, talking about politics, and talking about righteousness, the three are closely connected and unified with each other, and the core is talking about politics. A political party is a political group organized around its own political program, according to its own political line, and to achieve its own political goals. If it is not political and has its own political program, political line and political goals, it will not be a political party. Our party is a Marxist political party and must adhere to Marxist politics, politics of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, and politics of realizing, safeguarding and developing the interests of the people. All comrades in the party, especially leading cadres, must firmly adhere to the correct political stance, political direction and political viewpoints, strictly abide by political disciplines, enhance political acumen and political discernment, and ensure a high degree of ideological, political and organizational unity of the entire party. Only in this way can we always maintain a clear mind, scientific understanding, and firm belief on the way forward, withstand the test of various difficulties and risks, and complete various tasks of reform and construction.
Talking about politics is concrete, not abstract. The most important thing for leading cadres to talk about politics is to implement the requirements of talking about politics through their own practice to promote the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics in economic, political, cultural and other aspects, reflected in their daily work and study, and implemented into the life of the party. Here I emphasize the following points.
First, we must strengthen our correct ideals and beliefs. The fundamental political beliefs of us Communists are socialism and communism, and our worldview is Marxist dialectical materialism and historical materialism. This cannot be shaken at any time. If a party member, especially a leading cadre, shakes these fundamental things ideologically, he will also shake the fundamental political stance of the Communists, and he will inevitably deviate from the correct political direction. The central government's requirement for "Three Stresses" education to strengthen ideals and beliefs as the first issue that must be solved is very targeted. In this regard, some comrades do have problems that cannot be ignored. For example, some comrades have wavered in their understanding that socialism will eventually defeat capitalism after long-term development and the future of building socialism with Chinese characteristics; some have declining revolutionary will, empty thoughts, indulge in debauchery, or seek spiritual sustenance in feudal superstition and other negative behaviors; some have expanded selfish desires, drifting in the face of money worship, and even using their power to seize national assets, leaving a so-called escape route for themselves. Various circumstances indicate that we must continue to strengthen the education of ideals and beliefs for party members and cadres, strengthen the education of dialectical materialism and historical materialism, and encourage all comrades in the party to truly firmly establish their ideals and beliefs on the scientific basis of Marxism. It is necessary to adapt to the new international and domestic situations, adapt to new changes in social economy, politics, and cultural life, actively seek new methods and measures, create new experiences, and ensure that the party truly strengthens ideological and political work, organizational work, propaganda work, and mass work in the great and arduous practice of building socialism with Chinese characteristics, so that Marxism always firmly occupies the ideological and political position, and all kinds of idealism, non-Marxism, and anti-Marxism things have no chance. The practice of ideological and political work shows that if our position is not occupied by proletarian ideas, non-proletarian ideas will inevitably occupy it. We must pay full attention to and remember this historical experience and lessons.
Second, we must be good at understanding and judging the situation politically correctly. The socialist modernization cause led by our party is a very arduous and continuously developing cause, and it is carried out in a complex and ever-changing international environment. If we are not good at understanding the status of my country's economic and social development from a political perspective, an overall and strategic perspective, understanding the impact of changes in the current international situation on our country, assessing the situation and making correct decisions, it will be difficult to grasp the correct direction of progress, and it will be difficult to implement the party's basic theory, basic line and basic program. Only by correctly analyzing and understanding the situation can we grasp the relationship between the great situation of modernization and the temporary difficulties and problems that arise in the process of progress, clearly understand the essence and phenomenon of things, the mainstream and the tributaries, and strengthen the confidence to advance the work; only then can we grasp the relationship between reform, development and stability, and make overall plans and take into account the location. Only by handling all aspects of work well and promoting comprehensive economic and social development can we grasp the overall trend of the international situation and ease the relationship with hegemonism and power politics with the United States and other Western countries, strive to create a good international environment for our country's modernization drive, and better safeguard our country's security and interests. Recently, when dealing with the issue of the US-led NATO armed interference in Yugoslavia affairs and the attack on our embassy in Yugoslavia, the central government has always paid attention to reviewing and considering the general trend at home and abroad, and formulated and implemented correct policies and countermeasures. In short, whether we look at the international situation or the domestic situation, we must adhere to the Marxist dialectical point of view. When the situation is good, we must see existing problems and seek solutions in a timely manner without being blindly optimistic; when encountering difficulties and setbacks, we must see the light, strengthen our confidence in victory, advance despite difficulties, and not be pessimistic and disappointed; when facing challenges, we must think calmly, respond calmly, handle them appropriately, and not be hot-headed.
Third, we must always remain politically sober and firm in our line, principles, and policies. Politics is the concentrated expression of the economy and serves the economy. Lenin pointed out: "If a class does not look at the problem politically correctly, it will not be able to maintain its rule, and therefore it will not be able to complete its production tasks." When we engage in socialist modernization, the central task is to develop the economy, which must be firmly grasped and must not be shaken. Economic development requires strong political guarantee and sufficient political conditions, otherwise economic construction will not be successful. There is politics in economic work and every other business work. The 15th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed to actively explore forms of public ownership that can further liberate productivity and allow joint-stock systems and joint-stock cooperative systems. Some people abroad thought that China was going to privatize. Some of our comrades also had similar misunderstandings, which resulted in certain deviations in work in some places. After 50 years of development since the founding of New China, our state-owned assets have reached more than 8 trillion. This is property belonging to the people of the whole country and is an important economic foundation for our socialist system. If we do not have a clear mind and deal with it casually, such as quantifying large amounts of state-owned assets to individuals without distinction or restriction, and eventually concentrating them in the hands of a few people, then our state-owned assets will be in danger of being hollowed out, and our socialist system will lose its economic foundation. What will China be like at that time? What do we rely on to uphold the socialist system, what do we rely on to consolidate the people's political power, and what do we rely on to ensure the common prosperity of all people? Therefore, correctly understanding and adhering to the basic economic system with public ownership as the main body and the common development of various ownership economies, and correctly understanding and handling the relationship between the public ownership economy and the non-public ownership economy is not only a major economic issue, but also a major political issue related to the future and destiny of the party and the country. I am talking about this issue to illustrate that leading cadres, especially senior cadres, must be good at observing and handling problems politically, and they must not simply discuss economics based on economics or discuss business based on business. In this way, not only will the work not be done well, but it will also bring losses to the cause of the party and the people. We hope that leading cadres at all levels will consciously understand and grasp the work they are doing from a political perspective and ensure that all our work develops in the right direction.
Fourth, we must consciously adhere to the party’s principle of democratic centralism. Democratic centralism is the fundamental organizational system and leadership system of our party and country, and it is also the most important organizational discipline and political discipline. There are many reasons for the disharmony and disunity of some leadership groups, but one commonality is that democratic centralism is not implemented well. Some leading cadres like to have the final say personally and treat collective discussions as a formality. Some leading cadres have poor overall awareness and fail to implement collective decisions if they agree with them. This phenomenon prevents the collective leadership from forming an overall synergy and will also bring adverse political effects. I have always said that the leadership team must adhere to collective leadership, democratic centralism, individual deliberation and meeting decisions. The main leaders must be courageous and good at making decisive decisions on the basis of promoting democracy. They must also respect the opinions of others, be good at brainstorming and implement correct concentration. Each leading member must effectively perform his or her responsibilities in accordance with collective decisions and division of labor, and at the same time, be concerned about the overall situation and actively participate in collective decision-making. Decision-making on major issues and the appointment and dismissal of important personnel must adhere to democratic centralism, adhere to collective discussions, and make decisions at meetings, and strictly follow rules and procedures. Leaders and members should trust each other, support each other, complement each other, and understand each other; when they encounter differences of opinion, they should be honest with each other and communicate in a timely manner. In this way, problems that affect unity can be avoided or reduced, and even if there are conflicts, they can be easily resolved. To resolve conflicts within the party, we must persist in using the weapons of criticism and self-criticism. This is a fine tradition and fine style of our party. It is also necessary to strengthen party unity, improve intra-party life, and help comrades make progress under the new historical conditions. Letting things go unchecked, not engaging in necessary ideological struggles, focusing on personal affairs instead of party spirit, focusing on relationships instead of principles, avoiding conflicts, being in harmony, and not distinguishing between right and wrong, is extremely harmful. We must dare to criticize and fight against major issues of principle that violate the party's line, principles, and policies, and wrong behaviors that violate the party's purpose and discipline. Leading cadres should widely accept good words and be happy to hear them. This is of great benefit to their own progress and improvement, and is also of great benefit to improving the party's cohesion and combat effectiveness.
Fifth, we must wholeheartedly seek the interests of the people. The starting point and destination of all our work as Communists is to seek the interests of the people. This is the foundation of our party and our governance. Political issues are mainly issues of attitude towards the people and relations with the people. The people are the creators of history and the real heroes. These words were all said by Comrade Mao Zedong a long time ago, and I have quoted and emphasized them many times. Leading cadres must maintain close contact with the masses, truly integrate with the masses, think about what the masses think, be concerned about their concerns, and use the approval and disapproval, happiness and displeasure of the masses as their own code of conduct. Otherwise, there is a risk of being abandoned by the masses. Issues raised and reported by the masses must be dealt with enthusiastically and effectively help the masses solve practical difficulties in production and life. We must not ignore them indifferently, let alone treat the masses roughly and intensify conflicts. We must wholeheartedly seek the interests of the people. We must not pay lip service to it or engage in "empty work." Instead, we must actually serve the people. We must start from the practical problems that the people are most concerned about and most urgently need to solve. We must implement the fundamental purpose of our party into all work and implement it to the broad masses of the people.
In short, party members and cadres, especially leading cadres, must pay attention to politics no matter which field or front they work on. The central government proposed that senior cadres must first strive to become politicians who are loyal to Marxism, adhere to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and know how to govern the party and the country. The key to improving the quality of cadres is to improve their Marxist political quality. Without this political soul, we will lose our way, and it will be impossible to become a clear and qualified leading cadre of the party, and it is impossible to become a clear and qualified builder and leader of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Senior cadres must strive to strengthen their study and practice in accordance with the requirements of the Central Committee, and strive to become politicians who are good at governing the party and the country as required by the party. Other leading cadres should also use such requirements to train and improve themselves. Our party has a large number of politicians who can govern the party and the country in the new historical period, in the social environment of reform and opening up, the development of the socialist market economy, and in the complex international struggle situation. With such politicians in charge of economic, cultural, military, diplomatic, and modernization work, the great cause of building socialism with Chinese characteristics will surely be able to continue to move from victory to new victory.
When talking about politics, we must insist on studying. Only when leading cadres have a solid foundation in Marxist theory and rich knowledge in all aspects can they comprehensively understand and grasp various complex contradictions and problems, keenly identify various erroneous views and trends of thought, scientifically formulate various policies and measures, and maintain the correct political direction in various complex situations. In a word, only by talking about learning can we talk about politics better. Learning, first of all, is learning theory. Theoretical construction is the foundation of party building, and theoretical quality is the soul of the ideological and political quality of leading cadres. Strengthening the study of Marxist theory is still an urgent and important task before the whole party, and must be promoted persistently. At the same time, we should also extensively study knowledge in economics, politics, law, science and technology, history, culture, etc., and learn knowledge in international politics and international economics. Excellent literary and artistic works are very beneficial to improving people's ideological realm and moral cultivation, and they should be familiar with and understood. The knowledge created by human beings is vast, and it is impossible to learn all of it. You should make a reasonable study plan based on your own knowledge status and work reality, and gradually accumulate and deepen it. People are not born with knowledge, knowledge, talents and experience must be acquired through work practice and hard study. Learning should not only be learned from books, but also learned through practice; it should not only be improved by summing up successful experiences, but also be improved by learning from the lessons of failure. This is required by our party's ideological line of seeking truth from facts, and also by the Marxist style of study that integrates theory with practice.
When talking about politics, it must be reflected in talking about righteousness. To be upright means to uphold and carry forward the political nature and revolutionary integrity of Communists. The Central Committee has always emphasized that all party members, especially leading cadres, must establish and maintain the noble sentiments and revolutionary integrity of communists. This has always been a powerful spiritual force for our party to unite and strive for victory. A revolutionary political party must have a strong sense of righteousness, so that the whole party can have a strong spiritual pillar and be full of vitality and vitality. Over the years, some leading cadres have failed to withstand the test of money, power, and women, and have deteriorated and fallen into the pit of corruption. An important reason is that these people have relaxed the transformation of their worldview and lost the revolutionary integrity of communists. Our Chinese nation has always respected honors and festivals. Mencius said, "Wealth cannot be fornicated, poverty cannot be moved, power cannot be subdued" and many other famous sayings express our nation's pursuit of steadfastness and integrity. We Communists should inherit and carry forward the excellent cultural traditions of the Chinese nation, and cultivate and promote noble personality qualities on the basis of Marxist ideas. To maintain revolutionary integrity, we must be loyal to the cause of the Party and the people no matter what the circumstances, never change the original intention of the revolution, and never lose confidence in victory; not be afraid of ghosts or believe in evil, adhere to the truth, safeguard the Party's principles, and fight with a clear-cut stand against all kinds of erroneous ideas, bad tendencies, and evil forces; persist in being honest and dedicated to the public, work hard, and be spotless and upright in the face of the corrosive influence of money worship, hedonism, individualism, and "revelry." Vigorously strengthening the education of revolutionary integrity among all comrades in the party, especially leading cadres, is an important ideological and political construction under the new situation. In the practice of reform, opening up, and modernization, everyone must consciously exercise party spirit, consciously strengthen ideological and political cultivation, work hard to solve world outlook, outlook on life, and values ​​issues, constantly strengthen their beliefs and aspirations, temper their will, and quality in practice, and truly cultivate the high integrity of communists.
Since the reform and opening up, the party’s domestic and international environment, the historical tasks it shoulders, and the composition of its members and cadres have undergone and are undergoing great changes. The diversification of social and economic components and organizational forms, as well as the various differences in material interests and other demands of social members, will inevitably be reflected within the party and the ranks of leading cadres. This is a new situation and new problem that party building is facing that has not been encountered in the past. This "Three Stresses" education is a major measure taken by our party to strengthen the construction of the leadership team, improve the quality of the cadre team, and solve outstanding problems in the party's spirit and style under the new situation.
Now, the "Three Stresses" education for the first batch of provincial and ministerial-level unit leadership groups and leading cadres is about to come to an end. There is still a lot of work to consolidate and expand educational achievements and implement rectification measures; the "Three Stresses" education for provincial and municipal departments and bureaus and ministries, commissions, divisions and division-level cadres is also being or is about to begin. The second batch of "Three Stresses" education for the leadership teams and leading cadres of provincial and ministerial-level units will soon begin. Party committees (party groups) in all localities and departments must strengthen leadership, and the main responsible comrades must effectively fulfill the responsibilities of the first responsible person. They must grasp one level at a time and lead one level at a time. They must adhere to high standards and strict requirements. They cannot relax, cannot lower requirements and standards, and cannot go through the motions. The central inspection team must continue to play a good role in guidance and assistance. On the basis of summarizing and carrying forward the experience gained by the first batch of "three stresses" education units, we must make the "three stresses" education at all levels and batches better in the future. After all, the time for the "Three Stresses" education is limited, while stressing study, politics, and righteousness are long-term tasks, and should become a regular conscious action of all party comrades, especially leading cadres.
Comrades, we are at an important historical juncture at the turn of the century, shouldering the great and arduous task of cross-century development. We must pass this "Three Stresses" education to further improve the theoretical level and political level of the whole party, improve the ability of leading cadres to correctly grasp the situation and control complex situations, further enhance the party's cohesion and combat effectiveness, and better lead the people of all ethnic groups in the country to build socialism with Chinese characteristics
The cause of charity is advancing in an all-round way.