Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping has approved a new set of guidelines to strengthen ideological and political indoctrination in the People's Liberation Army (PLA). "The Guidelines adhere to Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era," Xinhua reported on April 7, 2021. The guidelines were formally issued by the party's Central Military Commission. Xinhua reported that the Guidelines focus on "building the people's army into a real world-class army, training successors who follow the party's commands, sharpening the squads that can win battles, and building a people's army that has excellent conduct."
Below is the Xinhua article:[1]
(Source: Xinhua)
'Strengthening The CCP's Ideological And Political Leadership Over The People's Liberation Army'
"The Central Military Commission, with the approval of its Chairman Xi Jinping, has recently issued 'Guidelines on Building Ideological and Political Education System within the Chinese military in the New Era.' It requires all levels to seriously implement.
"The Guidelines adhere to 'Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era.' They thoroughly implement Xi Jinping's thought on strengthening the military. They faithfully carry out a series of important instructions and requirements of President Xi on strengthening and improving ideological and political education in the military. They focus on strengthening the CCP's ideological and political leadership over the People's Liberation Army (PLA), revolving around the theme of cultivating revolutionary soldiers of the new era with soul, ability, blood and moral character, forging a tough force with iron-like faith, iron-like beliefs, iron-like discipline, and iron-like commitment. The guidelines hold high the banner to provide guidance, strengthen the military to win the fight, pursue innovation while holding on the essence, reshaping the system; and innovating education theories, content, methods, forces, work operations, and institutional mechanisms. The Guidelines also specify the direction, fundamental tasks, methods, and other key elements in constructing the military ideological and political education system of the people's army in the new era.
'Building The People's Army Into A Real World-Class Army, Training Successors Who Follow The Party's Commands'
"The Guidelines emphasize that the party's strong military goals in the new era must be used to guide ideological and political education, and closely encompass the party's strong military goals in the new era, building the people's army into a real world-class army, training successors who follow the party's commands, sharpening the units that can win battles, and building a people's army that has excellent conduct.
"We must persistently use Xi Jinping's thought of a strong military to educate our people, strengthen the direction that ideological and political education help ensure a winning strong army, hold the key for cadres that teaching by example is more important than teaching by words, stick to the mass route to reinvigorate the ideological and political education, and form a major pattern of ideological and political education coordinated by the party committees and under the joint management of all sections.
"The Guidelines are the top-level instructions for building the ideological and political education system for the people's army in the new era. It has great significance for the absolute leadership of the party over the military and gathering the power of the will to strengthen and thrive the military. They will certainly promote our military's ideological and political education on a new starting point, open up a new horizon of ideological and political education of the people's army in the new era, and provide strong ideological and political guarantee for advancing the cause of building a strong army."
APPENDIX – 'Strive To Open A New Situation Of Ideological And Political Education For The People's Army In The New Era,' People's Liberation Army Daily, December 5, 2020
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On December 5, 2020, an anonymous commentator wrote in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Daily that the PLA must strengthen its obedience not only to the Communist Party, but to General Secretary Xi Jinping personally. "Adhering to Marxism to educate and train people is the essential feature of our military's ideological and political education. Under the Party's banner to forge a firm military soul, cultivate absolutely loyal revolutionary soldiers, we must arm officers and soldiers with Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era and Xi Jinping's thought on strengthening the military," wrote the commentator.
Below is the article:[2]
'Strengthen The Party's Absolute Leadership Over The PLA'
"On December 3-4, [2020], the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) ideological and political education work conference was held in Beijing. This is an important meeting of our military on the new journey towards the goals of 100th anniversary of the founding of the PLA. President Xi kindly met with the delegates who attended the meeting and expressed warm congratulations on behalf of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and the Central Military Commission.
"This fully reflects that the party's core, the commander-in-chief of the military, and the people's leader attaches great importance to strengthen the party's absolute leadership over the PLA, and fully implement the strategy of political construction of the military in new era, as well as his ardent expectation of building the ideological and political education system of the people's army in the new era and providing strong ideological and political guarantee for the cause of a strong army.
"Mastering ideological leadership comes first in mastering all leadership. Persistently paying attention to the ideological and political construction and mastery of the military is our party and our military's fine tradition and unique advantage.
'Strengthens The Political Soul Of Officers And Soldiers To Listen To The Party And Follow The Party'
"Since the 18th Party Congress, the entire PLA insists on taking Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era as its guidance. It carries out Xi Jinping's thought on strengthening the army, focuses on strengthening the ideological and political leadership of the party, innovates and improves ideological and political education work, strengthens the political soul of officers and soldiers to listen to the party and follow the party, stimulates the blood and courage of the troops to fight and win, and continues the original style of the people's army.
"In the face of the new situation, new tasks and new requirements in the new era, we must update the concept of education, optimize the content of education, improve education methods, and strive to build the ideological and political education system of the people's army in the new era. This is the foresight of the party control of ideology, a strategic initiative to unite the will to strengthen the military, and demands of the time to train revolutionary soldiers with soul, ability, blood, and moral character, and forge a tough force with iron-like faith, iron-like beliefs, iron-like discipline, and iron-like commitment.
'Adhering To Marxism … Is The Essential Feature Of Our Military's Ideological And Political Education'
"Strengthening and energizing the military is the distinctive theme of our military construction. To build the ideological and political education system of the people's army in the new era and open up a new horizon of ideological and political education of the people's army in the new era, we must study and implement a series of important instructions and requirements of Xi Jinping on strengthening and improving the ideological and political education of the people's army. We must focus closely on realizing the Party's strong military goals in the new era and building the people's army into a world-class military, focus on cultivating successors who will listen to the Party's command, hone the combat team capable of winning battles, form a military with excellent conduct, and unite the will and power of officers and soldiers to strengthen the military and make it thrive.
"Adhering to Marxism to educate and train people is the essential feature of our military's ideological and political education. Under the Party's banner to forge a firm military soul, cultivate absolutely loyal revolutionary soldiers, we must arm officers and soldiers with Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era and Xi Jinping's thought on strengthening the military, in accordance with the requirements of learning to understand and understand to practice, thoroughly, persistently and solidly manage learning and education, improve the quality and effectiveness of inculcation, stand firm in support of ideals and beliefs, and promote the Party's innovative theories to go deep, be substantial, and go deep into the hearts.
'Times Have Changed … The Internet … Can Become The Largest Increment Of Educational Innovation'
"Times have changed, the objects have also changed, so the ideological and political education must change, too. To promote the reform of our ideological and political education model, it is crucial to take the mass route and open up a new world of education through innovations by the people.
"We shall stimulate the vitality of self-education of the masses, fully respect the dominant role of the service members; make good use of the information network on cyberspace for education, so that the Internet, the 'largest variable,' can become the 'largest increment' of educational innovation; strengthen the educational role of our strong army culture, and effectively consolidate the ideological and cultural positions in our soldiers, build ideological 'homes' for our service members; respond to the needs of officers and soldiers, make education more cordial and touchable, and rely on the wisdom and power of the masses to flourish the education.
"Leaders and cadres taking the lead are the orders with no actual voice, and they are the best form of education. Giving orders by leaders and cadres from above, and pushing people from behind are less effective than being the examples themselves. We must hold the principle of educators receiving education first, and beginning from the 'key minorities' of leaders and cadres. We shall work on leading by example, work on our working styles, work on 'chasing to the front' and 'doing it first,' realistically go back to the basic principles of matching our words with deeds, leading by example, and leaders taking the lead.
'… Uphold General Secretary Xi Jinping's Core Position On The Party Central Committee And In The Party As A Whole'
"Ideological and political education is a holistic project, and systemic engineering. We must establish a broader view of education, and mobilize all aspects of resources to form an integrated and united approach of education.
"We shall pressure party committees to take the responsibilities, work on education in accordance with the law, build up strong education teams, strengthen practice exploration, form an exciting picture where party committees take the main responsibility and everybody works together, so that we can give a major boost of the ideological and political education in our military.
"Through strong ideological and political education, we can guide the entire PLA officers and soldiers to enhance their consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central party leadership; stay confident in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics; and uphold General Secretary Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole, and uphold the Party Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership, follow the Central Military Commission Chairman responsibility system, resolutely follow the command of the Party Central Committee, the Central Military Commission and President Xi, and strive tirelessly to advance the cause of a strong military in the new era."
