Consolidate the Foundation through Ideological and Cultural Cultivation to Forge Absolute Loyalty to the Party

Mastering ideological leadership is the foundation for mastering all leadership. To consolidate and strengthen the Party’s absolute leadership over state security organs, we must persistently strengthen the construction of the cadre contingent from the ideological, spiritual, and cultural dimensions, forging an iron security force that is steadfast and pure, reassuring to the Party, willing to dedicate, and capable of fighting and winning, thereby firmly consolidating the security police soul of absolute loyalty to the Party.

掌握思想领导是掌握一切领导的基础。巩固强化党对国家安全机关的绝对领导，必须始终坚持从思想上、精神上、文化上加强干部队伍建设，锻造一支坚定纯洁、让党放心、甘于奉献、能拼善赢的国安铁军，有力筑牢对党绝对忠诚的国安警魂。

Strengthening ideological and cultural construction must adhere to taking a clear-cut political stand.

加强思想文化建设必须坚持旗帜鲜明讲政治

Thought is the precursor to all action. The kind of thought used to arm the mind determines the kind of action taken and the kind of contingent forged. We must, from the strategic height of upholding the Party’s cultural leadership, soberly recognize and grasp the correct political direction of ideological and cultural construction, and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Culture and General Secretary Xi Jinping’s series of important instructions on state security organs throughout all fields and the entire process of ideological and cultural construction, ensuring the unity of thought, political solidarity, and consistency of action among all police officers.

思想是一切行动的先导。用什么样的思想武装头脑，就会有什么样的行动、造就一支什么样的队伍。我们必须从坚持党的文化领导权的战略高度，清醒认识和把握思想文化建设的正确政治方向，把习近平文化思想和习近平总书记关于国家安全机关的系列重要指示精神，贯穿思想文化建设的各领域全过程，确保全体干警思想上的统一、政治上的团结、行动上的一致。

An inevitable requirement for upholding the Party’s absolute leadership. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached great importance to national security work, emphasizing the need to uphold the Party’s absolute leadership over national security work, uphold the Party Central Committee’s centralized and unified leadership over national security work, strengthen the construction of the national security cadre contingent, and build an indestructible national security cadre contingent. State security organs must take the Party’s political construction as the guide, make forging political loyalty the primary task of ideological and cultural construction, educate and guide all police officers to deeply comprehend the decisive significance of the Two Establishments, enhance the Four Consciousnesses, strengthen the Four Confidences, and achieve the Two Upholds, and unswervingly be loyal guardians of the Party and the people. [1]1 The Two Establishments refers to establishing Comrade Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole, and establishing the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. The Four Consciousnesses are consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership. The Four Confidences are confidence in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The Two Upholds are upholding General Secretary Xi Jinping’s core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole, and upholding the Party Central Committee’s authority and its centralized, unified leadership.

坚持党的绝对领导的必然要求。党的十八大以来，以习近平同志为核心的党中央高度重视国家安全工作，强调要坚持党对国家安全工作的绝对领导，坚持党中央对国家安全工作的集中统一领导，要加强国家安全干部队伍建设，打造坚不可摧的国家安全干部队伍。国家安全机关必须坚持以党的政治建设为统领，把筑牢政治忠诚作为思想文化建设的首要任务，教育引导全体干警深刻领悟“两个确立”的决定性意义，增强“四个意识”、坚定“四个自信”、做到“两个维护”，矢志不渝做党和人民的忠诚卫士。

An inevitable requirement for studying and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Culture. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture clarifies fundamental issues such as what banner to raise, what path to follow, what principles to uphold, and what goals to achieve in cultural construction in the New Era. It is the theoretical summary of the practical experience of leading cultural construction in the New Era and a powerful ideological weapon and scientific action guide for doing a good job in propaganda, ideology, and cultural work on the new journey of the New Era. For state security organs to study and implement Xi Jinping Thought on Culture, they must, in ideological and cultural construction, hold high the banner of Marxism and socialism with Chinese characteristics, abide by the principle of Party spirit, firm up the political stance, highlight political standards, and consolidate the common ideological foundation for all police officers to loyally perform their duties and unite in struggle.

学习贯彻习近平文化思想的必然要求。习近平文化思想明确了新时代文化建设举什么旗、走什么路、坚持什么原则、实现什么目标等根本问题，是新时代领导文化建设实践经验的理论总结，是做好新时代新征程宣传思想文化工作的强大思想武器和科学行动指南。国家安全机关学习贯彻习近平文化思想，必须在思想文化建设中高举马克思主义、中国特色社会主义的旗帜，恪守党性原则，坚定政治立场，突出政治标准，巩固好全体干警忠诚履职、团结奋战的共同思想基础。

An inevitable requirement for continuing the red bloodline. The red bloodline is the concentrated embodiment of the political essence of the CPC and the source of spiritual strength for Chinese Communists in the New Era. Continuing the red bloodline requires persistently strengthening the study and education of Party history, and from the Party’s brilliant achievements, arduous course, historical experience, and fine traditions, clarifying the historical logic, theoretical logic, and practical logic of the Party’s invincibility. State security organs must attach great importance to deepening the study and education of Party history in ideological and cultural construction, deeply excavate the red educational resources of the covert front, tell revolutionary stories well, tell the heroic stories of the covert front well, and continuously inherit and pass on the red gene of absolute loyalty to the Party from the covert front.

赓续红色血脉的必然要求。红色血脉是中国共产党政治本色的集中体现，是新时代中国共产党人的精神力量源泉。赓续红色血脉，需要持之以恒加强党史学习教育，从党的辉煌成就、艰辛历程、历史经验、优良传统中，弄清我们党无往而不胜的历史逻辑、理论逻辑、实践逻辑。国家安全机关要高度重视在思想文化建设中深化党史学习教育，深入挖掘隐蔽战线红色教育资源，讲好革命故事，讲好隐蔽战线英雄故事，接续传承好隐蔽战线对党绝对忠诚的红色基因。

Strengthening ideological and cultural construction must strengthen political guidance to forge loyalty.

加强思想文化建设必须强化政治引领铸忠诚

General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that firming up ideals and convictions and being absolutely loyal to the Party are the consistent requirements of the Party and the people for state security organs, and under new historical conditions, they must still be unswervingly upheld and strengthened. We must take Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the fundamental guide, persist in giving play to the political guidance function of ideological and cultural construction, and vigorously shape the ideological concepts, value orientations, and cultural consciousness of absolute loyalty to the Party.

习近平总书记深刻指出，坚定理想信念，对党绝对忠诚，是党和人民对国家安全机关的一贯要求，新的历史条件下仍然要坚定不移坚持和加强。我们要以习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想为根本遵循，坚持发挥思想文化建设的政治引领功能，大力塑造对党绝对忠诚的思想观念、价值取向、文化自觉。

Consolidate the theoretical foundation of absolute loyalty. Political firmness stems from theoretical sobriety; the power drawn from scientific theory is intrinsic, strong, and lasting. We must unremittingly use Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to consolidate the soul and gather the heart, improve the work system for arming police officers with the Party’s innovative theories, carry out high-quality centralized education within the Party, perfect the study system of the theoretical study center groups of Party committees, deeply advance the research and interpretation of the Party’s innovative theories, guide the vast number of police officers to comprehensively study and comprehend the scientific system, rich connotation, and practical requirements of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, especially the holistic approach to national security, and continuously improve their political quality and theoretical level for performing duties and making contributions.

夯实绝对忠诚的理论根基。政治上的坚定源于理论上的清醒，从科学理论中汲取的力量，是内在的强大的持久的力量。要坚持不懈用习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想凝心铸魂，健全用党的创新理论武装干警的工作体系，高质量开展党内集中教育，完善党委理论学习中心组学习制度，深入推进党的创新理论研究阐释，引导广大干警全面学习领会习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想特别是总体国家安全观的科学体系、丰富内涵、实践要求，不断提高其履职建功的政治素质和理论水平。

Promote the historical tradition of absolute loyalty. History is the best textbook, the best nutrient, and also a vivid teaching material for strengthening education on absolute loyalty to the Party. Strengthen education on the awareness of political organs, strengthen education on ideals and convictions, use the Party’s struggle course and great achievements to inspire morale and clarify the direction, use the glorious traditions and fine work style of the covert front to firm up convictions and gather strength. We must combine the study and education of Party history with the propaganda and education of the history of the Party’s covert front. By excavating history, collecting artifacts, holding exhibitions, protecting and utilizing ruins and sites, and other means, actively carry out multi-level, multi-form, and multi-angle in-depth transformation and extensive publicity of achievements, guiding the vast number of police officers to draw wisdom and strength from history, achieving the goals of learning history to understand principles, learning history to increase trust, learning history to promote virtue, and learning history to practice action. [2]2 “Learning history to understand principles, learning history to increase trust, learning history to promote virtue, and learning history to practice action” is a slogan from the Party history learning and education campaign launched in 2021.

弘扬绝对忠诚的历史传统。历史是最好的教科书，是最好的营养剂，也是加强对党绝对忠诚教育的生动教材。强化政治机关意识教育，加强理想信念教育，用党的奋斗历程与伟大成就鼓舞斗志、明确方向，用隐蔽战线的光荣传统与优良作风坚定信念、凝聚力量。要把党史学习教育与党的隐蔽战线历史宣传教育结合起来，通过挖掘历史、征集实物、举办展览、保护利用遗址遗迹等方式，积极开展多层次、多形态、多角度的成果深度转化和广泛宣传，引导广大干警从历史中汲取智慧和力量，做到学史明理、学史增信、学史崇德、学史力行。

Eulogize the vanguards of the times of absolute loyalty. Model exemplars play a key role in the cultivation and practice of core values. To strengthen education on absolute loyalty to the Party, we must also attach importance to using heroic models to influence, inspire, and drive people. We must take cultivating and selecting loyalty models as an important way to enhance the cohesion and combat effectiveness of the contingent, excavate and refine them in actual combat, track and cultivate them in selection and recommendation, and inherit and elevate them in propaganda and lectures. Select and establish a group of security vanguard figures with firm political stance, firm ideals and convictions, who can stand firm, be well-known, and be promoted, playing a demonstrative and leading role. We must pay attention to enriching the levels and categories of model figures. While publicizing the heroic deeds of those fighting on the front line, highlight what is learnable and doable, what can be pursued and caught up with, and vigorously eulogize ordinary heroes who are dedicated to their duties and silently contribute, so that the vast number of police officers can draw spiritual nourishment for loyal performance of duties from the people and things around them.

讴歌绝对忠诚的时代先锋。模范典型在核心价值观的培育践行中具有关键作用。加强对党绝对忠诚教育，也要重视用英雄模范影响人、感召人、带动人。要把培树忠诚典型作为提升队伍凝聚力、战斗力的重要途径，在实战中挖掘提炼，在推选中跟踪培养，在宣讲中传承升华，选树一批政治立场坚定、理想信念过硬，立得住、叫得响、推得开的国安先锋人物，发挥示范引领作用。要注重丰富典型人物层次类别，在宣传斗争一线英雄事迹的同时，突出可学可做、可追可及，大力讴歌立足本职、默默奉献的平凡英雄，使广大干警从身边人、身边事中汲取忠诚履职的精神养分。

Create a cultural atmosphere of absolute loyalty. The formation of culture cannot be separated from the shaping of the environment. To promote advanced ideological culture, we must create a positive cultural atmosphere that matches it. We must give play to the internalizing education, inspiring, and summoning role of ceremonies. Combining with important time nodes, solemnly and normatively hold ceremonies such as flag-raising, rank-conferring, oath-taking, and award-giving, to encourage police officers to strengthen their identity awareness, improve their political consciousness, bravely shoulder their duties and missions, and strive to excel. Give play to the leading and driving role of high-quality literary and artistic works. By holding literary and artistic performance activities, selecting excellent literary and artistic works, and building a strong contingent of literary and artistic talents, encourage and support the original production of literary and artistic works on contemporary security themes, strive to create more excellent works with thought, backbone, and warmth, display the spirit and deeds of daring to fight and being good at fighting, tell moving stories of taking risks and overcoming difficulties, and use the unique security culture to infiltrate the police heart and cultivate the police soul.

营造绝对忠诚的文化氛围。文化的形成离不开环境的塑造，弘扬先进思想文化必须打造与之相适应的积极文化氛围。要发挥仪式的内化教育、激励感召作用，结合重要时间节点，庄严规范举办升旗、授衔、宣誓、颁奖等仪式，激励干警强化身份意识、提高政治觉悟、勇担职责使命、奋力创先争优。发挥高质量文艺作品引领带动作用，通过举办文艺展演活动、评选优秀文艺作品、建强文艺人才队伍，鼓励支持当代国安题材文艺作品原创生产，努力创作更多有思想、有筋骨、有温度的精品佳作，展现敢斗善斗精神事迹，讲好冒险犯难动人故事，以独特国安文化浸润警心、育警塑魂。

Strengthening ideological and cultural construction must keep pace with the times and seek innovation.

加强思想文化建设必须做到与时俱进谋创新

Those who know the constant and understand change will win; those who uphold integrity and innovate will advance. We must deeply study and comprehend General Secretary Xi Jinping’s series of new ideas, new viewpoints, and new conclusions on comprehensively deepening reform, further promote the spirit of reform and innovation, firmly establish the “five consciousnesses,” and promote ideological and cultural construction to show a new atmosphere and achieve new achievements. [3]3 The “five consciousnesses” is a term used within the Chinese security system, referring to political consciousness, overall situation consciousness, responsibility consciousness, benchmark consciousness, and bottom-line consciousness.

知常明变者赢，守正创新者进。我们要深刻学习领会习近平总书记关于全面深化改革的一系列新思想、新观点、新论断，进一步弘扬改革创新精神，牢固树立“五个意识”，推动思想文化建设展现新气象、实现新作为。

Firmly establish political consciousness. Uphold the Party committee’s centralized and unified leadership over ideological and cultural construction, grasp the dialectical relationship between upholding integrity and innovation, carry out reform and innovation on the premise of stabilizing the direction, holding the position, protecting the roots, and guarding the bottom line, and ensure the correct political direction, public opinion orientation, and value orientation. We must always take studying, propagating, and implementing Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era as the primary task, continuously promote and perfect the mechanism of combining learning and thinking, learning and research, and learning and application, so that theoretical arming is closer to business, and political learning touches the soul more deeply.

牢固树立政治意识。坚持党委对思想文化建设的集中统一领导，把握守正和创新的辩证关系，在守稳方向、守住立场、守好根脉、守牢底线的前提下改革创新，确保正确的政治方向、舆论导向、价值取向。必须始终将学习宣传贯彻习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想作为第一要务，持续推动完善学思结合、学研结合、学用结合机制，让理论武装更加贴近业务，让政治学习更加触动灵魂。

Firmly establish a position consciousness. On the one hand, strengthen the internal ideological education position, relying on the Party committee theoretical study central group, the Party branch’s “three meetings and one lesson” [4]4 “Three meetings and one lesson” (三会一课) refers to the regular system of Party branch meetings, branch committee meetings, group meetings, and Party lessons., the youth theoretical study group, cadre education and training, etc., to continuously innovate and improve the “theoretical study and propaganda” platform and carrier, comprehensively advance the construction of networks, periodicals, screens, exhibitions, walls, rooms, corridors, etc., to create an internal cultural propaganda position with strong appeal, influence, and timeliness, and increase the study and propaganda of the Party’s innovative theory. On the other hand, broaden social propaganda channels, connect online and offline, mainstream media and self-media, effectively shape the positive image of national security organs, and create a favorable external working environment.

牢固树立阵地意识。一方面建强内部思想教育阵地，依托党委理论学习中心组、党支部“三会一课”、青年理论学习小组、干部教育培训等，不断创新完善“理论学宣”平台载体，全方位推进网、刊、屏、展、墙、室、廊等建设，打造吸引力、影响力、时效性强的内部文化宣传阵地，加大对党的创新理论的学习宣传力度。另一方面拓宽社会宣传渠道，贯通线上与线下、主流媒体与自媒体，有力塑造国家安全机关正面形象，营造有利外部工作环境。

Firmly establish an audience consciousness. Select targeted propaganda and education content and methods according to different objects, strengthen segmented research, and highlight classified policy implementation. For leading cadres at all levels, focus on strengthening policy theory propaganda and interpretation, make good use of high-level, authoritative theoretical education resources, and promote the normalization and institutionalization of the Party’s innovative theoretical armed forces. For young police officers with active thinking and diverse interests, give full play to the role of mass organizations [5]5 Mass organizations (群团组织) refer to people’s organizations such as trade unions, Communist Youth Leagues, and women’s federations that operate under the leadership of the CPC., strive to work on interest and grounding, and innovatively adopt methods that young people enjoy to carry out ideological education and propaganda guidance. For the broad masses of the people who care about and support the work of national security organs, organically combine normalized propaganda education with centralized propaganda education, and effectively enhance the national security awareness of the whole people.

牢固树立受众意识。根据不同对象选择针对性的宣教内容和方式方法，加强分众研究，突出分类施策。对各级领导干部要以强化政策理论宣传阐释为主，着力运用好高层次、权威性的理论教育资源，推动党的创新理论武装常态化、制度化开展。对思维活跃、兴趣多元的青年干警，要充分发挥群团组织作用，努力在趣味性、接地气上下功夫，创新采用年轻人喜闻乐见的方式开展思想教育和宣传引导。对关心支持国家安全机关工作的广大人民群众，要把常态化宣传教育与集中性宣传教育有机结合起来，切实增强全民国家安全意识。

Firmly establish a quality consciousness. Always know insufficiency and find gaps, always be dissatisfied and brave innovation, strive to make work refined, specialized, and outstanding. Be patient in building brands, summarize, refine, and consolidate mature experiences and practices, continue to exert effort and persevere, and create a batch of ideological and political brands, propaganda brands, education brands, and cultural brands rich in national security characteristics. Carefully improve quality, promote the “craftsman spirit,” and launch a batch of fine works that publicize the style of national security in the New Era, that are well-known, spreadable, and enduring. Attentively perceive public opinion evaluation, with a work attitude of constantly striving for excellence, widely listen to opinions and suggestions inside and outside the system, foster strengths and avoid weaknesses to explore advantageous resources, timely adjust and improve work ideas and measures, so that the established brands are more attractive and more vital.

牢固树立精品意识。常常知不足找差距，事事不知足勇创新，努力把工作做精、做专、做出彩。要耐心做好品牌，把已经成熟的经验做法总结好、提炼好、巩固好，持续用力、久久为功，打造一批富有国安特色的思政品牌、宣传品牌、教育品牌、文化品牌。要精心提升品质，弘扬“工匠精神”，推出一批宣传新时代国安风采，叫得响、传得开、留得住的精品力作。要留心感知风评，本着精益求精的工作态度，广泛听取系统内外意见建议，扬长避短发掘优势资源，适时调整完善工作思路举措，让创立的品牌更具吸引力、更富生命力。

Firmly establish a technology consciousness. Technology is the booster and catalyst for ideological and cultural construction. Actively learn new knowledge, pay attention to the trends of technological development, deeply think about the opportunities and challenges that technological development brings to ideological and cultural construction, strive to find the rising wind gap in resolving risks, and seize reform opportunities in meeting challenges. Actively embrace new technology, discover and make good use of new tools, new platforms, and new carriers, empower ideological and cultural construction with technology, comprehensively improve the quality and efficiency of work, and add wings for the ideological and cultural construction of national security organs to take off and soar.

牢固树立科技意识。科技是思想文化建设的助力泵、催化剂。要主动学习新知识，关注科技发展动向，深入思考科技发展对思想文化建设带来的机遇和挑战，努力在化解风险中找到上升风口，在迎接挑战中抓住改革机遇。要积极拥抱新科技，发现和用好新工具、新平台、新载体，以科技赋能思想文化建设，全面提升工作的质量效益，为国家安全机关思想文化建设插上展翅腾飞的双翼。

(The author is a member of the Party Committee and Director of the Political Department of the Ministry of State Security)

（作者系国家安全部党委委员、政治部主任）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧