NEW DIMENSIONS TO MARXIST MILITARY THEORY IN CONTEMPORARY CHINA

NEW DIMENSIONS TO MARXIST MILITARY THEORY IN CONTEMPORARY CHINA*

December 22, 2017

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, our people’s military has demonstrated its loyalty to the Party and always acted on the instructions of the Party leadership. It has withstood the tests of a complex environment and grave challenges, and deserves the full trust of the Party and the people. 

Our extensive effort to strengthen the military is centered on realizing the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. In defining and designing a powerful people’s military, we have developed the Party’s philosophy on strengthening the military for the new era through theoretical advances and practical innovations. 

Our philosophy specifies that a great country must have a great military. A strong national defense and powerful armed forces are our strategic support in upholding and developing Chinese socialism and in rejuvenating the Chinese nation. 

Our philosophy specifies that the Party’s goal of building a strong military in the new era is to develop a people’s military that obeys the Party’s command, can fight and win, and maintains exemplary conduct. The timetable for this goal must be in step with our country’s modernization process — realizing basic modernization of national defense and the armed forces by 2035 and elevating the people’s armed forces to world-class standards by the mid-21st century. 

Our philosophy specifies that the Party’s absolute leadership over the armed forces is the foundation and soul of the military. The fundamental principles and systems by which the Party exercises its leadership over the military must be implemented in full, so as to ensure the absolute loyalty, integrity and reliability of the armed forces. 

Our philosophy specifies that a military is built to fight. We must focus on how to fight and win, reform the system for strategic military guidance, create a modern combat system with distinctive Chinese characteristics, and improve combat readiness across the military. This will enable us to effectively shape our military posture, manage crises, and deter or win wars in the new era. 

Our philosophy specifies that exemplary conduct is a distinctive feature and strength of our military. It is mandatory to improve conduct and tighten discipline in the armed forces. We must be firm in enforcing strict discipline, fighting corruption, and punishing vice. We must carry forward the proud traditions and exemplary conduct of our Party and our military, and ensure that the armed forces forever preserve their nature, purpose and character as the forces of the people. 

Our philosophy specifies that we must strengthen the military by fortifying the loyalty of the armed forces, building their capacity through reform and technology, and running them in accordance with the law. We must make a greater effort to improve combat effectiveness, encourage innovation, upgrade systems, increase efficiency, and expand civil-military integration. Our aim is to build regular armed forces that are revolutionary, modern, and well-structured.

Our philosophy specifies that reform is essential to strengthening the military. We must modernize the organizational structure of our military, build modern military forces with distinctive Chinese characteristics, and improve Chinese socialist military systems. 

Our philosophy specifies that innovation is the primary driver of development. We must rely on scientific and technological innovation for stronger combat capabilities, and pursue coordinated innovation in military theory, technology, organization, management and culture, in order to build innovation-driven people’s armed forces. 

Our philosophy specifies that to modernize the military, we must work on a Chinese system for law-based governance of military affairs, push for the fundamental changes required to apply that system, and improve law-based governance in building national defense and the armed forces. 

Our philosophy specifies that civil-military integration is a crucial strategy for making our country prosperous and our military strong. We must ensure national security while pursuing development, and ensure national prosperity while strengthening the military. We aim to create a framework of deeper civil-military integration that covers all areas, comprises all production factors, and yields high returns. The ultimate goal is to build an integrated national strategic system and capacity. 

We should have an accurate and thorough understanding of the Party’s philosophy on strengthening the military for the new era and practice this philosophy to the letter. 

Our endeavors to strengthen the military must keep abreast of global changes and national development. In recent years, we have achieved historic progress and transformation in building national defense and the armed forces, yet we still face prominent issues and challenges. In response, we should stay problem-oriented and boost innovation to create new dimensions to Marxist military theory and practice in contemporary China.

* Part of the speech at an enlarged meeting of the Central Military Commission.

(Not to be republished for any commercial or other purposes.)