Properly Grasping the Dialectical Unity of the “Near and Far” in the Outlook on Political Performance

General Secretary Xi Jinping has emphasized: “We must establish a correct outlook on political performance, properly handle the relationships between stability and progress, establishment and abolition, the virtual and the real, the superficial and the fundamental, and the near and the far, adhere to bottom-line thinking, strengthen risk awareness, and consciously apply the new development philosophy throughout the entire process of economic and social development.” [1]1 The “new development philosophy” refers to the five concepts of innovation, coordination, green, openness, and sharing, which guide China’s economic and social development. The near and the far, at the philosophical level, are never two poles that are separated or opposed to each other; rather, they are a dialectical unity that complements each other and cannot be neglected. General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important exposition provides the fundamental guidance for the vast number of Party cadres to clarify the orientation of political performance and to work with practical dedication and responsibility.

习近平总书记强调：“要树立正确政绩观，处理好稳和进、立和破、虚和实、标和本、近和远的关系，坚持底线思维，强化风险意识，自觉把新发展理念贯穿到经济社会发展全过程。”近和远，在哲学层面从来不是彼此割裂、相互对立的两极，而是相辅相成、不可偏废的辩证统一整体。习近平总书记的重要论述，为广大党员干部明确政绩导向、实干担当兴业提供了根本遵循。

“One who does not plan for the long term cannot plan for the moment; one who does not plan for the whole cannot plan for a part.” [2]2 A classical Chinese maxim from the Qing dynasty official Chen Zhanran’s *Words on Waking from a Drunken Dream* (《寤言》·迁都建藩议), emphasizing the need for long-term and holistic planning. This ancient maxim takes into account both the depth of time and the breadth of space, elucidating the internal mechanism of the integration and symbiosis of the near and the far. To establish and practice a correct outlook on political performance, understanding the near and the far from the perspective of time means properly handling the dialectical unity of the present and the future, the short term and the long term, and visible achievements and latent achievements, cultivating historical patience and maintaining strategic resolve. We must both base ourselves on the present, do our utmost, accomplish tangible things that the people can see, touch, and benefit from, strive to solve the people’s urgent, difficult, anxious, and expectant problems, crack the deep-seated problems and contradictions restricting the development of regions and departments, and create visible achievements that yield immediate results; and also look to the future, act in accordance with objective laws, carry on the work one term after another, implement a single blueprint to the end, and accumulate latent achievements that lay foundations, increase momentum, and benefit the long term. To distinguish the near and the far from the perspective of space means properly handling the dialectical unity of the part and the whole, the department and the overall, and China and the world, both cultivating one’s own domain meticulously and embracing the overall situation. In concrete practice, we must adhere to a systems perspective, be adept at “playing the piano,” [3]3 “Playing the piano” is a metaphor from Mao Zedong for balancing multiple tasks, like a pianist using all ten fingers to produce a harmonious melody. grasp the principal contradiction and the principal aspect of the contradiction, and achieve breakthroughs at key points; we must also firmly establish the thinking of the whole country as a single chessboard, [4]4 “The whole country as a single chessboard” is a standard CPC phrase meaning that all regions and departments must coordinate their actions under central leadership. achieve development tailored to local conditions and differentiated development; and we must also coordinate both domestic and international situations, and strive to promote high-quality development.

“不谋万世者，不足谋一时；不谋全局者，不足谋一域。”这则古训兼顾时间纵深与空间全局，阐明了近和远相融共生的内在机理。树立和践行正确政绩观，从时间上认识近和远，就是要处理好当下和未来、近期和长远、显绩和潜绩的辩证统一关系，涵养历史耐心，保持战略定力。既要立足当下，尽力而为，做老百姓看得见、摸得着、得实惠的实事，努力解决群众急难愁盼问题，破解制约地区和部门深层次发展的难题，创造即期见效的显绩；又要放眼未来，按照客观规律办事，一茬接着一茬干，一张蓝图绘到底，积累打基础、增后劲、利长远的潜绩。从空间上辨析近和远，就是要处理好局部和全局、部门和整体、中国和世界的辩证统一关系，既精耕一域，又胸怀全局。在具体实践上，必须坚持系统观念，既要善于“弹钢琴”，抓住主要矛盾和矛盾的主要方面，实现重点突破；又要牢固树立全国一盘棋思想，实现因地制宜、错位发展；还要统筹国内国际两个大局，着力推动高质量发展。

In *Zhejiang, A New Chapter*, [5]5 *Zhejiang, A New Chapter* (《之江新语》) is a collection of short commentaries written Comrade Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out: “In all our work, we must make overall plans and take all factors into consideration, properly handling the relationship between the present and the long term. When we emphasize seeking practical results and planning for the long term, what we seek is not only temporary results, but more meaningfully, long-term results.” The formulation of the “Eight-Eight Strategy” [6] aimed to resolve various deep-seated problems and contradictions faced by Zhejiang’s development, such as “inherent deficiencies” and “growing pains.” Over more than 20 years, as the provincial-level development planning blueprint and top-level design for Zhejiang Province, the “Eight-Eight Strategy” has led Zhejiang to undergo earth-shaking and tremendous changes, profoundly reflecting the wisdom and strength of scientifically handling the dialectical unity of the near and the far. From the dimension of time, the “Eight-Eight Strategy” focuses on achievements for a thousand years, not temporary gains. From the dimension of space, the “Eight-Eight Strategy” is dedicated to a strategic leap from meticulous cultivation of one domain to embracing the overall situation, promoting Zhejiang to solve problems of internal and external linkage in open development. Comrade Xi Jinping also used the “sweet potato theory” [7] to explain the internal logic of “developing Zhejiang by leaping beyond Zhejiang, and developing Zhejiang by basing itself on the whole country.” This important judgment broke through provincial boundaries, placing Zhejiang’s development within the overall planning of the national and even global development situation.

在《之江新语》中，习近平同志深刻指出：“我们做一切工作，都必须统筹兼顾，处理好当前与长远的关系。我们强调求实效、谋长远，求的不仅是一时之效，更有意义的是求得长远之效。”制定“八八战略”，旨在破解浙江发展面临的“先天不足”“成长的烦恼”等各种深层次问题和矛盾。20多年来，作为浙江省域发展规划蓝图和顶层设计的“八八战略”，引领浙江发生翻天覆地的巨大变化，深刻体现了科学处理近和远辩证统一关系的智慧和力量。从时间的维度看，“八八战略”着眼的是千秋功业，而非一时之绩。从空间的维度看，“八八战略”致力的是从精耕一域到胸怀全局的战略跃升，推动浙江在开放发展中解决内外联动等问题。习近平同志还用“地瓜理论”阐释“跳出浙江发展浙江、立足全国发展浙江”的内生逻辑。这一重要论断打破了省域局限，把浙江的发展置于全国乃至全球的发展大局中去统筹谋划。

Properly grasping the dialectical unity of the “near and far” in the outlook on political performance is an inherent requirement for promoting high-quality development. High-quality development is development that embodies the new development philosophy, development where innovation becomes the primary driving force, coordination becomes an inherent characteristic, green becomes a universal form, openness becomes the inevitable path, and sharing becomes the fundamental goal. The five development concepts of innovation, coordination, green, openness, and sharing are interconnected, integrated, and mutually supportive, demonstrating from theoretical logic and practical logic the dialectics of using the far to guide the near and accumulating the near to achieve the far: without long-term innovation layout, coordinated linkage, green accumulation, openness to the outside world, and shared goals, short-term development can easily become superficial and unstable; lacking the step-by-step implementation of tasks in the present, the grand blueprint of high-quality development will only become a castle in the air.

把握好政绩观中“近和远”的辩证统一关系，是推动高质量发展的内在要求。高质量发展是体现新发展理念的发展，是创新成为第一动力、协调成为内生特点、绿色成为普遍形态、开放成为必由之路、共享成为根本目的的发展。创新、协调、绿色、开放、共享五大发展理念彼此关联、融会贯通、互为支撑，从理论逻辑、实践逻辑彰显了以远统近、以近积远的辩证法：没有长远的创新布局、协调联动、绿色积淀、对外开放、共享目标，短期发展就容易出现虚浮不稳；缺少当下一步一个脚印抓落实，高质量发展的宏伟蓝图也只会沦为空中楼阁。

The period of the 15th Five-Year Plan [8] is a critical period for laying a solid foundation and making comprehensive efforts to basically achieve socialist modernization. To establish and practice a correct outlook on political performance, we must properly grasp the dialectical unity of the near and the far. In terms of time, use long-term planning to sharpen the cumulative steps of progress; in terms of space, use the momentum of the overall situation to inspire progress in one domain. With the realm and responsibility of “achievement need not be mine, but achievement must include me,” [9] pursue the unity of visible achievements and latent achievements, strive to create real results that can withstand the test of practice, the people, and history, and strive to write a new chapter of Chinese-path modernization.

“十五五”时期是基本实现社会主义现代化夯实基础、全面发力的关键时期。树立和践行正确政绩观，必须把握好近和远的辩证统一关系。在时间上，以长远之谋砥砺跬步之功；在空间上，以全局之势激扬一域之进。以“功成不必在我、功成必定有我”的境界担当，追求显绩和潜绩的统一，努力创造经得起实践、人民、历史检验的实绩，奋力谱写中国式现代化新篇章。

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧