Published by ChinaMNC · Nankang

What a 90th Anniversary Commemoration Signals for Foreign Founders Building in China

A practical reading of the October 22 commemoration of the Red Army's Long March victory, held at the Great Hall of the People, for foreign founders navigating company registration and operations in China.

Why a Commemoration Matters to Founders

On October 22, a commemorative event marking the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's Long March victory was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, state president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered an important speech. The event was attended by Li Qiang, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi and Han Zheng, and presided over by Zhao Leji.

For foreign founders registering or operating a company in China, speeches of this kind are not operational documents. They do not change registration rules, tax procedures or licensing requirements. But they do signal the vocabulary and priorities that shape public administration at every level, and understanding that vocabulary helps founders read official communications, anticipate policy emphasis and align their local communications with the tone used by authorities.

The Core Message of the Speech

According to the source, Xi emphasized that remembering history is the way to open up the future. He called on the whole Party, the military and people of all ethnic groups to unite more closely around the Party Central Committee, carry forward the spirit of the Long March, keep working and press ahead, and strive to create new achievements on a new Long March.

The speech reviewed the Long March from October 1934 to October 1936, when the Party led the Red Army's First, Second and Fourth Front Armies and the 25th Army across more than ten provinces over some 25,000 li, breaking through the encirclement and interception of more than a million enemy troops. Xi described the victory as having decisively failed the Kuomintang reactionaries' attempt to eliminate the Party and the Red Army, achieving the strategic transfer north to resist Japanese aggression, and opening a new situation for the Chinese revolution.

Four Sources of the Victory

The speech identified four reasons for the Long March victory, which are useful as a reading of official reasoning style:

• Correct Party leadership. Xi said the correct leadership of the Party and the establishment of Comrade Mao Zedong's core position were decisive for the victory.
• Firm revolutionary will. Revolutionary ideals and convictions, he said, can unleash boundless power, and a force with lofty ideals and firm belief is invincible.
• Independence and seeking truth from facts. Basic tenets of Marxism, he said, can solve China's problems and show vitality only when closely combined with China's concrete reality.
• Support of the broad masses. The people, he said, are always the source of strength and strong backing for the Party and the people's army.

From the Long March to the New Long March

Xi described the Long March spirit as part of the spiritual lineage of Chinese Communists, manifesting the power of loyalty, truth, justice and unity, and as a valuable asset and powerful driving force that transcends time.

He said that in the 90 years since the victory, the Party has led the people through one great Long March after another in revolution, construction and reform. Since the 18th Party Congress, socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era. According to the source, the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects has been achieved on schedule, historic achievements and changes have been made in Party and state undertakings, and the country is now working on the second centenary goal of building a great modern socialist country in all respects, advancing national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization.

The "Five Musts" and What They Signal

Xi set out five requirements for carrying forward the Long March spirit on the new journey:

• Stay true to ideals and purpose. Fully implement the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, remember the original mission, and rely on the people to create new achievements.
• Pursue high-quality development. Meet the people's growing needs for a better life, advance the Five-Sphere Integrated Plan and the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy, achieve effective qualitative improvement and reasonable quantitative growth of the economy, and promote common prosperity for all.
• Carry out great struggles with new historical features. Better coordinate development and security, and overcome difficulties, risks and challenges with a spirit of historical initiative.
• Build the people's army into a world-class military. Uphold the Party's absolute leadership over the people's army, meet the centenary goal of the People's Liberation Army on schedule, and advance national defense and military modernization with high quality.
• Uphold Party leadership and strengthen Party building. Persist in full and rigorous Party self-governance and ensure the Party remains a strong leadership core for socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Zhao Leji, who presided, said the speech reviewed the great course of the Long March, summarized its significance, revealed the winning path it embodied and expounded the historical value of the Long March spirit, setting out the "five musts." He called for the speech to be studied and implemented.

Practical Takeaways for Foreign Founders

Founders should treat this as context rather than compliance guidance. The emphasis on high-quality development, coordinated development and security, and common prosperity indicates the themes likely to appear in official communications and local policy documents. The repeated stress on Party leadership and self-governance signals that administrative processes remain closely tied to Party structures, which is relevant when founders engage with local authorities, industrial parks or state-linked partners.

The event itself was attended by around 3,000 people, including central and Beijing officials, representatives of democratic parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and personages without party affiliation, veteran comrades, representatives of the PLA and armed police, and residents of the capital. The source also notes the presence of Politburo members, secretaries of the Secretariat, vice chairmen of the Central Military Commission, vice chairmen of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, state councilors, the president of the Supreme People's Court and vice chairmen of the National People's Political Consultative Conference.

The practical use for a foreign founder is limited but real: it is a reminder that official language in China is consistent, formal and value-laden, and that understanding it improves communication with regulators, partners and local officials. It does not alter registration steps, capital requirements or sector rules, which founders should confirm with qualified local advisers.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.