Enhancing Political Loyalty in the Military with Solid and Vigorous Efforts

In June 2024, General Secretary Xi Jinping led senior military officers back to Yan’an, a former revolutionary base of the Communist Party of China (CPC) which had exerted a decisive influence on China’s history. There, the Central Military Commission Political Work Conference was convened to address major issues concerning how to build and command the military in terms of thinking, politics, and organization on the new journey in the new era.

Xi’s speech was the most significant political outcome of the conference, marking the latest development of Xi Jinping thought on strengthening the military. It serves as a guiding document for strengthening the Party’s leadership and Party building within the military, and for political work of the military in the new era.

The Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee made arrangements for consistently deepening national defense and military reform, emphasizing that“we will improve the institutions and mechanisms for implementing the system of ultimate responsibility resting with the chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and continue to enhance political loyalty in the military.”We must have a full and accurate grasp of these instructions, and resolutely ensure their implementation, so as to deliver substantive and solid results in the enhancement of political loyalty and thus provide a strong political guarantee for strengthening the military.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, General Secretary Xi Jinping has always made the enhancement of political loyalty a national strategy in strengthening the country and the military. At the CMC Political Work Conference, he clearly proposed and systematically expounded on the strategy of enhancing political loyalty in the new era, and summarized it into the following ten points:

1. To enhance political loyalty within the military is the foundation of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

2. Political work is always the lifeline of the country’s military.

3. Deep-seated problems need to be addressed in military political work.

4. The guiding role of thinking should be given top priority.

5. The Party’s strength comes from its organization, and the cohesion and combat effectiveness of the forces also come from their organization.

6. The armed forces must always be led by those who are reliable and loyal to the Party.

7. Strict systems and rules in the military are necessary to maintain discipline, uphold military prestige, and enhance combat effectiveness.

8. There must be no place for corruption within the military.

9. Maintaining excellent conduct among the troops is essential to build heroic forces.

10. The unity between the military and the government and between the military and the people is the key to victory for our military.

These ten points reflect the new heights the CPC has reached in its understanding of political work in the military and provide fundamental guidance for its efforts to strengthen the military politically.

Keeping pace with the times and responding to the call of the era is crucial for the political work in the military to exert its core and leading role. To this end, Xi has proposed “Six Ensures” which include ensuring that the PLA takes its nature and purpose to heart, remains ready to fight and win, strives in unity, produces outstanding talents, remains pure and glorious, and observes discipline and obeys the rules.

These “Six Ensures” reflect the complex and profound changes in conditions at home and abroad, in the Party and in the military. They have offered sound answers to how to enhance political loyalty in the military and clarified the orientation of the political work in the military on the new journey. By entrusting political work with new missions and responsibilities, these “Six Ensures”have provided direction for the continuous enhancement of the political advantages of our military under new conditions.

As theoretical breakthroughs are made, our Party must equip itself with these latest achievements. We must make it a major political and long-term strategic task to study and implement the principles of Xi’s important speech. To achieve this task, we need to keep studying the original text and understand its profound significance, improve political conduct through rectification initiatives to strengthen our own advantages, and focus on practice to improve effectiveness. Only by making sound plans and concentrated efforts in a systemic way, can we ensure that the strategy of enhancing political loyalty in the military is firmly upheld and implemented effectively.

Editor: Yi Xiaowei