In the realm of governance, timely identification and resolution of obstacles are crucial for ensuring the smooth implementation of policies and directives. This principle is not unique to any particular country but is a universal challenge faced by governments worldwide. In recent years, the Chinese government has emphasized the importance of addressing “stumbling blocks,” “middle obstructions,” and “dead-end roads” to ensure that the Party Central Committee’s orders are executed effectively.

As early as June 29, 2020, during the 21st collective study of the Political Bureau of the 19th Central Committee, the General Secretary used metaphors to emphasize the importance of implementing the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee. He stated, “The central and state organs are the ‘first kilometer’ for implementing the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, and there should be no ‘stumbling blocks.’ Local Party Committees are the ‘middle section’ for implementing the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, and there should be no ‘middle obstacles.’ Grassroots party organizations are the ‘last mile’ for implementing the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, and there should be no ‘dead endings.'”

The metaphors used, such as “blocking the road,” “middle obstruction,” and “dead-end road,” highlight the importance of ensuring that policies are implemented without hindrance. “Blocking the road” originally refers to bandits who block the road and rob, and is now often used to describe things that hinder progress. “Obstruction” is a medical term, and “middle obstruction” is extended to mean the middle obstruction and blocking. “Dead-end road” refers to a road that has not been fully connected due to various reasons.

In the United States, similar challenges are faced in implementing federal policies at the state and local levels. For instance, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) faced numerous obstacles during its implementation. Some states refused to expand Medicaid, leading to disparities in healthcare access. This is akin to the “middle obstruction” described by the General Secretary, where local entities fail to implement federal directives effectively.

The General Secretary’s emphasis on the “first kilometer,” “middle section,” and “last mile” underscores the importance of clear division of responsibilities. The central and state organs, local party committees, and grassroots party organizations each play a critical role in ensuring that policies are implemented effectively. As the General Secretary emphasized, “In the big chess game of the national governance system, the Party Central Committee is the ‘coach, horses and cannons, each showing its strengths, and the overall situation of the chess game is clear.'”

Local party committees are in a critical position in the party’s organizational system, shouldering the important responsibilities of implementing the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee. The General Secretary once emphasized at the National Organization Work Conference: “The fundamental task of the Party’s local organizations is to ensure the implementation of the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee, and to implement orders and stop when there is a ban.”

If local party committees make discounts when implementing the major decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, fail to implement orders, stop bans, act in a slow way, or even act indiscriminately, it may cause “middle obstruction” in the party’s organizational system, which is not conducive to promoting various undertakings.

Wang Sanyun, former secretary of the Gansu Provincial Party Committee, is one of the typical cases. Regarding the central government’s decisions and deployments and policy measures, he believes that holding a meeting means implementation, issuing documents means implementation, and fabricating a summary report means implementation. Ji Jianye, former deputy secretary of the Nanjing Municipal Party Committee and former mayor of Jiangsu Province, promoted the city-wide rainwater sewage diversion project with a cost of 18 billion yuan without holding a citizen hearing and not listening to the opinions of experts and scholars. This is a mess. As a typical example.

Grassroots party organizations are the foundation for ensuring the implementation of the party’s lines, principles, policies, and decisions and deployments. If the foundation is solid, the building will be strong; if the foundation is loose, the building will be in a turbulent state. If the grassroots party organizations in implement the party’s lines, principles and policies, such as “policies above and countermeasures below,” “verbal disagreements, and lip service” will occur when implementing the party’s lines, principles and policies, the party’s central government’s orders will encounter a “dead-end” and ultimately harm the grassroots people. Benefit.

The General Secretary has repeatedly emphasized “one part of the deployment, nine parts of the implementation” and “implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee without fail.”

From the report of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China to emphasize “improving the Party leadership system that takes overall charge and coordinates all parties, and improving the implementation mechanism of the Party Central Committee’s major decisions and deployments,” to the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China’s “Central of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensive Deepening” The Decision on Reforming and Promoting Chinese-style Modernization further emphasized the need to “improve the implementation mechanism of major decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and ensure that the Party Central Committee obeys the orders and prohibits them.” Our Party has continuously improved the implementation mechanism of major decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee, and departments at all levels have established and improved the implementation of the Party The division of tasks, supervision and inspection, situation notification, supervision and accountability systems of the central government’s decisions and deployments ensure the smooth flow of the Party Central Committee’s government orders.

When politics is unified, people are harmonious, and when politics is unified, the country is prosperous. Since the new era, the General Secretary has repeatedly emphasized that we must implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee without fail, otherwise no matter how good the goal or the best blueprint is, it will be just a flower in the mirror and a moon in the water. The key to advocating practical work and implementing it lies in handling the relationship between the “first kilometer,” “middle section” and “last mile.” Only by clearing out the “stumbling blocks,” breaking down the “middle obstructions,” and opening up the “dead-end road,” can we truly take root and benefit the people.