Build a Stronger Military Through Stronger Governance

Build a Stronger Military Through Stronger Governance*

July 24, 2023

Strengthening governance over the military in all respects represents a profound change to the Party’s philosophy and approach in running the military. It is a strategic requirement for accelerating the modernization of national defense and the military, and an important contributor to modernizing China’s system and capacity for governance. We should fully apply the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, and the Party’s philosophy on strengthening the military and our military strategy for the new era. We must uphold the Party’s absolute leadership over the armed forces, take combat capability as the sole criterion for developing the military, and maintain and improve China’s socialist military systems. We should also modernize our military governance framework and capacity, and advance high-quality development of the armed forces through excellent governance, in order to achieve the centenary goal of the People’s Liberation Army.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the Party Central Committee and the Central Military Commission have consistently maintained the Party’s absolute leadership over the armed forces, actively tested and adopted various methods to strengthen military governance, and in particular, put in place a set of new institutions, mechanisms, laws, regulations and policies in the process of furthering reform of national defense and the armed forces, advancing law-based governance, and improving strategic management of the armed forces. This has enabled us to uphold and develop China’s socialist military systems in the new era and accelerate the modernization of national defense and the armed forces.

The world is undergoing an accelerating rate of change on a scale unseen in a century, and a new revolution in science, technology, and military affairs is gaining powerful momentum. This is a critical moment for China’s military in the effort to meet its centenary goal. We should have a clear understanding of the significance of stronger comprehensive military governance. To build a stronger military, we should intensify our efforts, armed with a greater sense of mission and in a spirit of reform and innovation.

Strengthening military governance is a complex and systematic endeavor involving all aspects of national defense and military development. We should apply systems thinking, focus on solving problems, and strengthen top-level design and strategic planning. This will enable us to make a targeted, well-planned effort at every step, at every level, and in every field. To achieve more systematic, holistic and coordinated governance, we should strengthen overall planning and intensify coordination between different departments and fields. We should intensify defense expenditure management and supervision, with a focus on the key fields where breakthroughs will drive overall progress. To ensure smooth and efficient implementation at every step and guarantee the overall performance of our military system, we should promote innovation in strategic management, improve the mechanisms for identification of needs, quick response, and effective action, and adopt whole-process professional assessment.

High-level military offices and senior officials must take the lead in freeing the mind, innovating new working methods, and strengthening governance in every aspect of work by improving the capacity for systematic, comprehensive and law-based governance that addresses problems at the source. To achieve overall progress and competence at primary level, we should give high priority to governance and respect the principal position and pioneering spirit of our service personnel. We should apply reform and the rule of law in military governance, consolidate and expand the achievements made in reforming national defense and the military, advance legislative work related to the military, and strengthen the enforcement and supervision of laws and regulations. The role of reform should be fully leveraged to better advance military governance under the rule of law.

Strengthening military-civilian governance is an integral part of military governance and an essential requirement for consolidating and boosting integrated national strategies and strategic capabilities. Relevant central Party and government departments, and local Party committees and governments at all levels, should raise their awareness of the importance of national defense, strengthen overall planning and coordination, and fulfill their duties in the development of national defense. The military should establish and maintain excellent communication and coordination with the civilian sector. We should fully leverage military needs in the development of national defense. In military-civilian governance, we should continue to optimize institutions and mechanisms, and improve the organizational and policy frameworks, so that all departments involved will fulfill their respective duties in close collaboration and in a regulated and orderly fashion.

* Main points of the speech at the seventh group study session of the Political Bureau of the 20th CPC Central Committee.

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