The Great Journey | Writing the New-Era Answer Sheet for Strengthening and Revitalizing the Military

Writing the New-Era Answer Sheet for Strengthening and Revitalizing the Military

Xinhua News Agency reporters Ding Zengyi, Zhang Yongjian, and Li Minghui

In Gutian, western Fujian, the hills are lush and green, and the eight characters reading "The Gutian Conference Shines Forever" stand solemn and striking. Step inside the main hall of the Gutian Conference site, and traces of charcoal fires remain—on a winter's day 97 years ago, the delegates gathered here lit charcoal fires, and also kindled the spark of building the Party through ideology and building the military through politics.

In the golden autumn of 2014, General Secretary Xi Jinping personally decided to convene the All-Army Political Work Conference here, leading the People's Army to trace its roots, renew its resolve, and set out again.

Since the 18th Party Congress, General Secretary Xi Jinping has clearly put forward the goal of military strengthening (强军目标) of "building a people's army that obeys the Party's command, is capable of winning battles, and has an excellent work style." The Party's goal of military strengthening in the new era plans for the great cause of national rejuvenation, lays out the overall situation of a strong nation and strong military, establishes the foundation for development and security, and defines what the People's Army should look like as the military of a major power and a strong nation.

Around this goal, General Secretary Xi Jinping has led the entire military in conducting in-depth theoretical exploration and practical innovation, forming Xi Jinping Thought on Strengthening the Military (习近平强军思想), which profoundly answers the major questions of our era regarding what kind of powerful people's army to build in the new era and how to build it. It has made clear that strengthening the nation requires strengthening the military, that consolidating national defense and building a powerful people's army are the strategic underpinning for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics and achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation in the new era, and has established the strategic layout of building the military through politics (政治建军), strengthening the military through reform (改革强军), strengthening the military through science and technology (科技强军), strengthening the military through talent (人才强军), and governing the military according to law (依法治军). It has opened up new horizons in Marxist military theory and the development of contemporary Chinese military practice.

Obeying the Party's command is the soul, determining the political direction of military development.

General Secretary Xi Jinping has profoundly stated: "Upholding the Party's absolute leadership over the military is the soul of military strengthening; forging the military soul (铸牢军魂) is the core task of our military's political work, and must never waver at any time."

Since the 18th Party Congress, the Party has led the People's Army in advancing political rectification (政治整训) with the spirit of the rectification movement (整风精神), resolutely and comprehensively enforcing strict Party governance and strict military governance, with a determination and intensity unprecedented in scale. The building of the military through politics in the new era has achieved historic results.

The entire military treats the comprehensive and thorough implementation of the Chairman of the Central Military Commission Responsibility System (军委主席负责制) as the highest political requirement to observe and the highest political discipline to uphold. It has improved the institutional mechanisms for implementing the Chairman of the CMC Responsibility System and ensured the implementation of working mechanisms for reporting requests for instructions, supervision and inspection, and information services, genuinely achieving "listening to Chairman Xi's command, being accountable to Chairman Xi, and giving Chairman Xi peace of mind."

The 19th Party Congress elevated "upholding the Party's absolute leadership over the people's army" to a basic strategy for upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, and enshrined in the Party Constitution the leadership system of the Central Military Commission operating under the Chairman Responsibility System.

"Golden stars shine on the military flag, our principle is the Party commands the gun..." The song echoes through military barracks, expressing the officers' and soldiers' political consciousness of absolute loyalty, absolute purity, and absolute reliability.

Being capable of winning battles is the core, reflecting the fundamental function of the military and the fundamental orientation of military development.

"When the Party and the people need it, can this military of ours always uphold the Party's absolute leadership? Can it be called up and win battles? Can commanders at all levels lead troops into battle and command battles?" General Secretary Xi Jinping's "question of victory in war (胜战之问)" was a thunderclap, and a "great discussion on the standard of combat effectiveness" swept through the entire military. The entire military firmly established combat effectiveness as the sole and fundamental standard, focusing all thinking on fighting and directing all work toward fighting.

The deepening of national defense and military reform advanced steadily and swiftly. The "three major campaigns" of reform of the leadership and command system, reform of scale, structure, and force composition, and reform of military policy systems were pushed forward in overlapping succession, constructing a new pattern in which the CMC exercises overall management, theater commands focus on warfighting, and the services focus on force building. The People's Army has achieved comprehensive renewal in its institutional structure, organizational structure, overall pattern, and appearance.

Domestically produced aircraft carriers, the J-20, the Y-20, and other advanced equipment have entered service, and the Dongfeng series missiles have formed a powerful deterrent. Exercises and training in the East China Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait directions are conducted on a routine basis, and escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and overseas evacuation of nationals demonstrate the responsibility of a major power. From live-force confrontation exercises at the Zhurihe Joint Training Base to combat exercises on the frontline border, the People's Army has enhanced its joint operations and all-domain operations capabilities through tempering in the smoke of battle, safeguarding national sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity with stronger deterrence and warfighting power.

An excellent work style is the guarantee, relating to the nature, purpose, and character of the military.

General Secretary Xi Jinping has earnestly admonished: "An excellent work style can forge heroic units; a lax work style can destroy an ever-victorious army." The entire military has studied and implemented the spirit of the Central Eight-Point Regulation and the CMC Ten-Point Regulation and their implementing rules, conducted in-depth "eight special rectification campaigns (八个专项清理整治)," comprehensively halted paid services by the military, and issued disciplinary prohibitions strictly banning unauthorized banquets and drinking and strictly banning unauthorized business operations for profit.

At the same time, the red gene (红色基因) is passed down from generation to generation, with the exemplary and leading role of advanced models such as the "Great Merit Third Company (大功三连)" given full play, and the fighting spirit of "fearing neither hardship nor death (一不怕苦、二不怕死)" continuously cultivated. From guarding the border in the Karakoram to the frontlines of disaster relief, officers and soldiers have put into action "pure love, only for China."

On September 3, 2025, commemorative activities marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War were held. The People's Army, with the new bearing of political rectification, the new layout of force structure, the new progress of modernization, and the new results of combat readiness and warfighting, received with honor the review of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the review of the Party and the people.

At present, we are closer to the goal of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation than at any point in history, and we also need to build a powerful people's army more than at any point in history. The People's Army focuses on striving toward the centenary of the founding of the military, anchors its goals and tasks, and follows the blueprint for military strengthening charted by General Secretary Xi Jinping, advancing toward world-class status with a more vigorous posture and providing stronger strategic support for achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The military flag flutters; the war drums urge the march forward. The People's Army, having traversed a glorious journey of nearly one hundred years, will, in the bugle call of the new era, assuredly advance from victory to new victory.

(Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, July 8)