Be ‘bold and steady’, Beijing tells officials amid China’s race to achieve GDP growth goal
State publication calls for officials to be bold, but also steady, in implementing crucial reforms and removing barriers to development
Beijing is asking officials to take a “bold and steady” approach, a mantra of China’s late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, to lift national morale and stimulate the economy in the push toward the annual growth target.
In an article on Sunday, the state-run Study Times stated President Xi Jinping’s emphasis on the need to combine an adventurous spirit with a steady approach to reform and opening up.
Officials must be adventurous and take bold steps “to initiate reforms in the most pressing current issues, addressing the key concerns of the people and the major barriers to economic and social development”, said the media outlet under the Central Party School.
“We need to be fearless and bold in our attempts, exploring reforms based on in-depth analyses of objective laws,” it said, adding that party members should also be “steady” in reform efforts and stay on track while avoiding “catastrophic mistakes”.
The quote, originally formulated by Deng in 1985, emphasised reforming China’s economic model cautiously without undermining the party’s principles, as courage is needed to carry out a comprehensive reform of economic systems.
The use of such a shock-and-awe approach is rare for Beijing
Xi later referenced the classic quote, urging party members to “dare to gnaw on hard bones and wade through dangerous shoals”.
