Xi Yan Dao | Xi Jinping reiterates 'breaking the Four Onlys'.

2026-07-10 15:03 Source: China News Service

　　 Chinanews July 10 dispatch — Title: Xi Jinping reiterates 'breaking the Four Onlys'.

　　Does a low level of education mean you're not considered talent? Does winning few awards mean you have little ability?

　　'Only papers, only titles, only degrees, only awards' has long been a much-criticized 'four onlys' phenomenon in science and technology evaluation.

　　On July 8, at the National Science and Technology Awards Conference, the Academician Conference of the Two Academies, and the 11th National Congress of the China Association for Science and Technology, General Secretary Xi Jinping again stressed accelerating the 'breaking of the four onlys' and effectively using science and technology evaluation as a guiding tool.

　　"We must not do 'one-size-fits-all' or 'mix everything together'" "We should continue to deepen the governance of 'labeling' in the science and education sector" "Use stricter standards and more practical measures to rectify prominent problems in work and academic conduct" ...

　　The General Secretary named various malpractices in science and technology evaluation work and pointed out the direction for reform.

　　The way of innovation lies in getting the right people. Currently, the world is at a critical period of a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation; behind intense technological competition, ultimately it is competition for talent. How to identify, cherish, respect, and employ talent is the key to stimulating their creative vitality.

　　General Secretary Xi Jinping has always been very concerned about the growth of scientific and technological talent and the building of science and technology teams, and he places importance on improving the innovation ecosystem for scientific and technical workers.

　　More than 40 years ago, while working in Zhengding, Hebei, Comrade Xi Jinping personally drafted the 'Nine Articles on Talent Recruitment', one of which was 'boldly employing and broadly accepting various kinds of talent', including those who had made past mistakes but been reformed, and those without formal degrees who were self-taught, among others.

　　In a little over a year, Zhengding attracted more than 200 talents to settle there; the formulation of the 'Nine Articles on Talent' injected vitality into local development.

　　Since the 18th National Congress of the Party, General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to reforming science and technology evaluation, emphasizing combining 'breaking the four onlys' with 'establishing new standards', and accelerating the improvement of a classified evaluation system and assessment mechanisms that conform to the rules of scientific research activities.

　　In March 2021, during an inspection in Fujian, General Secretary Xi Jinping visited an optical lens manufacturing company to see innovation; inside the workshop, company employees demonstrated production processes to him.

　　"For our country to enter the first echelon of technological development we must rely on innovation; blindly following won't work." "Innovation doesn't ask about 'background'; as long as someone can contribute to the country, we support them." The General Secretary's words were inspiring.

　　From establishing systems like 'rewarding those who solve problems' and 'competitive selection', to improving funding 'contract' systems to give researchers greater autonomy, in recent years China's science and technology system reforms have directly tackled bottlenecks and difficulties. These practical measures have effectively stimulated scientists' enthusiasm and creativity.

　　Starting from reality and acting according to the rules — this is the scientific spirit and pragmatic attitude repeatedly emphasized by General Secretary Xi Jinping.

　　At the July 8 conference, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that science and technology evaluation should act according to the rules of scientific research: "Project reviews, institutional assessments, and talent evaluations must strengthen orientation toward innovation capacity, quality, effectiveness, and contribution; reflect differences among categories; and avoid vague weighting of evaluation indicators or even putting form over substance."

　　The General Secretary's important remarks hit the nail on the head.

　　Innovation does not ask about background; heroes are not judged by their origins. Let those who want to do things, can do things, and get things done lead the charge; let truly capable scientific personnel have places to apply their skills. Our country's independent innovation enterprise has great prospects, and the vast number of scientific workers have much to contribute.

　　Chief Planner: Yu Lan

　　Planner: Zhou Rui

　　Coordinator: Ma Xueling

　　Authors: Kan Feng, Gao Meng

　　Proofreader: Sun Jingbo

　　Visuals: Xu Yang, Si Fang

　　Produced by China News Service 'Xi Yan Dao' studio

Editor: Liu Huan