Global Times: 'Process of solving problems is also process of advancing development'

BEIJING, June 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- History was advanced by continuously addressing problems. "The process of solving problems is also the process of advancing development."

During this year's two sessions, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, told a story that reflected the epistemology and methodology of addressing education-related issues. He said that "back then, I was proud to have raised funds to build a primary school in Liangjiahe village. However, the school was later closed. Why was it later closed? It was a positive development because students were relocated to a school in the township area to receive a higher-quality education. That was also a structural adjustment of the school."

Adhering to a problem-oriented approach is an intrinsic requirement of the Marxist view of practice. With economic and social development, as school-age populations concentrate in urban areas and student numbers in some regions decrease, "closing schools and merging them" to achieve large-scale running of schools has gradually become a trend.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China over 70 years ago, from building the world's largest education system to the country's rapid changes, the overarching logic has been the advancement of Chinese modernization.

"We should adopt a historical and holistic approach, have a sound view on future development, and see through the mass of complexities influencing international and domestic affairs. Remaining calm in the face of danger, we should seek to turn crises into opportunities, open up new dimensions in our work, and achieve our strategic goal of national rejuvenation, while dealing with global change on a scale unseen in a century."

This important exposition by Xi is an enrichment and development of Marxist historical materialism. It contains the answer to why the CPC has always been able to stand at the forefront of the times and withstand all kinds of storms and tests.

How to face problems

When facing problems, we must have a correct understanding of the big picture, remain strategically clear-headed, as well as keep adopting a strategic perspective and considering worst-case scenarios. Problems are a manifestation of the contradictions between things, and every era has its own problems. Leading officials and cadres must be adept at thinking strategically and skilled at looking at and considering problems from a strategic perspective.

"A nation is great because it never gives up, never retreats, and never stops moving forward. No matter what setbacks it faces, it will keep fighting for a better future." Xi's important conclusion reveals the spiritual quality of the Chinese nation in forging ahead while confronting difficulties and risks.

"When have there ever not been difficulties?" "Don't dwell on difficulties, just take action and move forward step by step." - These words from Huawei CEO Ren Zhengfei perfectly reflect the attitude of most Chinese people toward difficulties today.

True Marxists are never afraid of problems. On the contrary, they treat the capability of daring to face problems, actively seeking out and skillfully identifying problems as an important yardstick for measuring a political party's governance capacity.

Polluting enterprises along the Yangtze River failed to meet discharge standards, ships on the river discharged waste wantonly, and water quality kept deteriorating... Our mother river, the Yangtze, once "felt ill, very ill." "Our modernization is both the most difficult and the greatest." This difficulty is reflected, among other things, in properly handling the relationship between economic development and ecological protection and in realizing harmony between humanity and nature. Today, to step up conservation of the Yangtze River and stop its overdevelopment has become the consensus, and high-quality development along the Yangtze River Economic Belt is gaining momentum.

We should be highly alert to the issues of the times and have a clear understanding of various risks and challenges. This is exactly why, by courageously facing problems, focusing on new problems encountered in practice and creatively proposing and thoroughly implementing a series of major strategies, we have firmly seized the initiative in development in our own hands.

Problems are an inevitable objective existence. If one lacks a strong sense of crisis, foresight and forward-looking thinking and fails to see problems, it would be like "a blind man riding a blind horse approaches a deep pond at midnight."

In January 2021, at a seminar for provincial and ministerial-level officials, Xi reviewed his inspection of Zhejiang Province in the spring of 2020: "The environments and conditions that had facilitated large-scale imports and exports were no longer in place. Given these new circumstances, we needed to come up with new thinking to steer development." The new development pattern of "dual circulation" was thus conceived, with the goal of enhancing our ability to "survive, compete and maintain sustainable development."

Today, as the external environment changes rapidly, we have come to understand even more deeply the strategic foresight of the CPC Central Committee's preemptive move.

How to look at problems

When looking at problems, we should have a correct historical view, maintain strategic confidence, and adhere to historical, dialectical and legal thinking.

Look at problems from a historical perspective. Only by grasping the general trend from a long-term historical cycle can we see the essence of the problems, and then put forward scientific concepts and effective countermeasures to solve practical problems.

Since 2023, Xi has creatively put forward the concept of new quality productive forces and systematically expounded its connotation, significance and development requirements. This is a major judgment and strategic deployment made by accurately grasping the general trend of historical development and China's actual conditions.

The eight-point rules have changed China and become the "golden name card" of the Party's construction in the new era.

Look at problems with dialectical thinking. Only by seizing the key to the problems can we carry out scientific and precise targeted rectification.

From amending the detailed rules for the implementation of the eight-point rules to notifying typical problems of violating the spirit of the eight-point rules, it is to constantly strengthen the dam until the good habits are truly formed.

In recent years, the new employment groups have continued to grow, facing many new challenges in labor rights protection, social integration and other aspects.

Where does the problem lie? The traditional social work model is difficult to meet the actual needs, and the management and service gaps urgently need to be filled.

The 20th Central Committee of the CPC adopted a resolution on further deepening reform comprehensively to advance Chinese modernization at its third plenary session.

In recent years, the Society Work Department of the CPC Central Committee and social work departments of Party committees at the provincial, municipal and county levels have been established. Locally, the Regulations of Shanghai Municipality on Employment Promotion and other regulations have made specific provisions and detailed implementations on the protection of the rights and interests of flexible-employed personnel...

Look at problems with legal thinking. Only by seizing the root of the problems and taking targeted measures from the institutional and regulatory level can we promote "China's governance" with "China's system."

How to solve problems

When solving problems, we should have a correct development view, maintain strategic initiative, and adhere to systematic and innovative thinking.

With the change of the principal contradiction in Chinese society, how to solve the problem of unbalanced and inadequate development? We should firmly grasp the primary task of high-quality development, firmly grasp the path choice of the new development pattern, and deeply promote the transformation of the development mode, driving force, field and quality.

With the complex and volatile international situation, how to firmly do our own things well? The more difficulties we face, the more we should adhere to high-quality development, promote high-level opening-up, drive the Chinese economy to a new level, and create new advantages in international competition.

"Development is the underpinning and the key for solving all our country's problems." "High-quality development is the unyielding principle of the new era."

As of the end of May this year, the sales volume of consumer goods trade-ins has exceeded 1 trillion yuan ($139.5 billion), and 175 million subsidy packages have been directly delivered to consumers.

China's large-scale equipment upgrade and consumer goods trade-in programs have been expanded, the special initiatives to boost consumption have been released, and efforts are made to stabilize housing market... In the face of the prominent contradiction of insufficient domestic demand, strengthening policy supply and guidance has formed an effective pull.

Adhering to the systematic concept provides a basic ideological and working method for solving problems.

How to make the good ecology and beautiful landscapes become "valuable treasures"? Using market-oriented means and opening up the transformation channels are innovative measures. In May this year, China has unveiled a guideline aimed at improving the system for market-based allocation of resources and environmental factors.

The guideline made a systematic deployment of promoting market-based trading of carbon emission rights, water use rights and pollutant discharge rights.

For the pioneering cause without predecessors, new problems and challenges emerge in an endless stream.

Using innovative thinking provides revolutionary and creative ideas and methods for solving problems.

We must face up to the fact that some problems are long-term and take time to solve, and we should have historical patience. In a considerable sense, any problem faced in development can be generally summed up as how to view it and how to solve it.

Firmly promoting theoretical innovation based on practice, our Party has guided the practice of development with the enriched and developed Marxism, and obtained important experience and profound inspiration: "We will undoubtedly break new ground in reform and development as long as we strengthen our conviction and confidence, confront problems and obstacles directly, and tackle risks and challenges without hesitation."

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202506/1337152.shtml

SOURCE Global Times