The report of the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (19th CCP National Congress) (党的十九大) noted that “Ideology determines the direction and development path of cultural progress.” General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that “ideological work is extremely important work for the Party, and it is work that builds a heart for the country and a soul for the nation.” As an important component of the cause of the Party and the country, SOEs should naturally also attach great importance to and diligently carry out ideological work.
党的十九大报告指出：“意识形态决定文化前进方向和发展道路。”习近平总书记强调：“意识形态工作是党的一项极端重要的工作，是为国家立心、为民族立魂的工作。”国有企业作为党和国家事业的重要组成部分，自然也应当高度重视并做好意识形态工作。
There are many factors that determine the ideological work of SOEs, the most important of which is the ideological capabilities of the majority of party members and cadres. This is because, among all the factors that determine the effectiveness of such work, the human factor ranks first; the ideological capabilities of the majority of party members and cadres directly determines whether the ideological work of an SOE can be effectively carried out, whether it can be implemented, and whether it can achieve actual results.
决定国有企业做好意识形态工作的因素有很多，其中最重要的一个，莫过于广大党员干部的意识形态能力如何。这是因为，在决定工作成效的所有因素中，人的因素是居于第一位的；广大党员干部意识形态能力如何，直接决定国有企业意识形态工作能否有效开展、能否落到实处、能否取得实效。
SOEs are production and operation entities and economic entities. Generally speaking, the core standard for measuring the ability of party members and cadres of SOEs to perform their duties is their ability to produce, operate, and manage. However, because SOEs are first and foremost a political existence, there are also many political and ideological disputes surrounding them. Therefore, as party members and cadres of SOEs, they must also have certain ideological capabilities, otherwise It is also difficult to perform due diligence. It can be said that ideological capability is also the core ability of SOE party members and cadres.
国有企业是生产经营体，是经济性主体，一般来说，衡量国有企业党员干部履职尽责能力的核心标准是生产经营管理能力。但是，因为国有企业首先并且根本的是一种政治性存在，围绕国有企业也存在大量的政治的和意识形态的争议，因而，作为国有企业的党员干部，也必须具备一定的意识形态能力，否则也难以履职尽责。可以说，意识形态能力也是国企党员干部的核心能力。
Why do we say that we must first look at politics to understand SOEs?
为什么说看国有企业首先要从政治上看？
Regarding this issue, we can discuss a basic ideological and political question that party members and cadres of SOEs must face, which is: Should we “de-politicize” (去政治化) or “de-ideologize” (“去意识形态化”) SOEs?
关于这个问题，可以围绕国有企业的党员干部必须面对的一个基本的思想政治疑问来讨论，这就是：对待国有企业要不要“去政治化”“去意识形态化”？
Before the 18th CCP National Congress (党的十八大), there was a period of time where the consensus on whether SOEs should be led by the CCP was vague rather than explicit, and actions were exclusive rather than persistent. The Party’s organizational status in SOEs was awkward, the Party’s leadership had been weakened, and the Party’s own establishment had also been weakened. Some people believed that the implementation of the factory director (manager) responsibility system (厂长（经理）负责制) required SOEs to “separate the Party from the government” (“党政分开”) and “separate the government from the enterprise” (“政企分开”). Others believed that the assessment of SOEs fell under the “Only GDP Theory” (“唯GDP论”) and would regard SOEs as purely economic organizations. Others still believed that establishing a corporate governance structure and complying with international standards would vacate the position of Party organizations, weakening Party leadership, marginalizing the Party organization, blurring the function of the Party organization, and weakening the awareness of Party leadership in SOEs for a long period of time, and so on and so forth.
党的十八大以前，有一段时间，在国有企业要不要中国共产党的领导问题上，认识是模糊而不是清晰的，行动上是排斥而不是坚持的。国有企业党的组织地位尴尬，党的领导被削弱，党组织的自身建设也被削弱。一些人认为，实行厂长（经理）负责制，国有企业要无前提、无条件进行“党政分开”“政企分开”；对国企的考核“唯GDP论”，把国有企业当成是一个纯粹经济组织；以建立公司法人治理结构和与国际接轨为名，悬空党组织位置，使国有企业在相当长的一段时间，党的领导被弱化，党的组织被边缘化，党组织的功能被虚化，党的领导的意识被淡化，等等。
General Secretary Xi Jinping took keen notice of this when he specifically emphasized that: “We must excel at looking at issues politically, and we must not think that this is just a simple issue of ownership or a purely economic issue. That would be naive!”
习近平总书记敏锐注意到了这样的情况，他特别强调：“我们要善于从政治上看问题，决不能认为这只是一个简单的所有制问题，或者只是一个纯粹的经济问题，那就太天真了！”
From this speech by General Secretary Xi Jinping, an important judgment can be drawn: When looking at SOEs, we must first look at them politically and ideologically. It would be naive to think that the problem of SOEs is only an economic problem.
从习近平总书记的讲话中，可以得出一个重要判断：看国有企业首先要从政治上看、从意识形态上看；如果认为国企问题仅仅是个经济问题，那就未免太天真了。
Studies have pointed out that: Considering economic issues from a political perspective is the greatest feature of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialist Economy with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era (习近平新时代中国特色社会主义经济思想). The reason why General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches so much importance to the “strengthening, excellence, and expansion (做强做优做大) of SOEs” is because he stands at the political height of the international struggle and strategic rivalry between China and the hostile forces of the West and at the height of the mission to uphold and develop socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. At such a height, he can observe, analyze, consider, and give judgment.
有研究指出，站在政治高度考虑经济问题，是习近平新时代中国特色社会主义经济思想的最大特点。习近平总书记之所以把“国有企业做强做优做大”看得那么重，就因为他是立于我国与西方敌对势力的国际斗争与战略较量的政治高度，立于新时代坚持和发展中国特色社会主义的使命高度，来进行观察、分析、考量和研判的。
So, for the majority of party members and cadres of SOEs, the key to the problem lies in how to treat the issue of whether SOEs should be “depoliticized” or “de-ideologized.” In fact, this question must be considered and answered in layers:
那么，对于广大国企党员干部来说，问题的关键就在于：到底如何看待国有企业要不要“去政治化”“去意识形态化”这个问题呢？实际上，对于这个问题要分层思考和解答:
At the first layer, from a macro perspective, SOEs have an inherent and essential connection with the leadership of the CCP and the socialist system. Not only must we have SOEs, but we must also continue to grow and develop them. Any doubts on this are politically and ideologically unfounded, and it would be harmful and even dangerous in practice.
第一层，宏观地看，国有企业与中国共产党的领导和社会主义制度具有内在的、本质的联系，国有企业不仅要有，而且要不断发展壮大。对这种观点的任何质疑，在政治上和意识形态上都是不成立的，在实践中都是有害的乃至是十分危险的。
Regarding the contributions of SOEs, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized their “outstanding meritorious service!” and “indispensable contributions!” He pointed out that China’s SOEs have made historic contributions to China’s economic and social development, S&T progress, national defense construction, and improving people’s livelihoods. Since the contributions of SOEs are not purely economic, it is natural not to look at SOEs from a purely economic perspective!
关于国有企业的贡献，习近平总书记强调“功勋卓著！功不可没！”他指出，我国国有企业为我国经济社会发展、科技进步、国防建设、民生改善作出了历史性贡献，功勋卓著，功不可没。
At the second layer, in terms of the specifics, if the “depoliticization” and “de-ideologicalization” of SOEs mean that “the reform and development of SOEs cannot be restrained and hindered by political and ideological reasons,” then this statement can generally stand on its own. However, if the meaning is to “strip” (“剥离”) SOEs from political and ideological systems and requirements and make them “pure enterprises” (“纯粹的企业”), then there are profound political and ideological issues with this statement. In particular, if the meaning of this statement is to measure and examine SOEs in accordance with the principles and standards of neoliberalism (新自由主义), in other words, that SOEs should “depoliticize” and “de-ideologize” in their production, operations, and management, the problem becomes serious and even changes in nature.
第二层，具体地看，如果说对待国有企业“去政治化”“去意识形态化”所要表达的意思是“不能因为政治的和意识形态的原因束缚和阻碍国有企业改革发展”的话，那么这句话大体上也是可以立得住的；但是，如果所要表达的意思是要把国有企业从政治的和意识形态的体制与要求中“剥离”出来，而使之成为一个“纯粹的企业”的话，那么这句话显然又存在着深刻的政治的和意识形态方面的问题。特别是，如果这句话所要表达的意思是要按照新自由主义的原则与标准对国有企业进行衡量与审视的话，或者说，国有企业在生产经营管理中应当“去政治化”“去意识形态化”，那问题就严重了，甚至变性质了。
Therefore, regarding the question of whether SOEs should “depoliticize” and “de-ideologize,” the question of how we can grasp this from a macro perspective without deviating and also how we can analyze specific issues in detail, without being mechanical, must become the primary political and ideological issue that the majority of state-owned enterprise party members and cadres must face.
因此，对于国有企业要不要“去政治化”“去意识形态化”这个问题，如何既能够从宏观上进行把握，不跑偏；同时又能够具体问题具体分析，不机械，成为广大国企党员干部必须面对的首要政治和意识形态问题。