The Fine Tradition of the PLA’s Political Work

In the course of long-term revolution, construction, and reform, the Chinese People's Liberation Army adheres to the principles of building the Party through ideological work and building armed forces through political work established by the Gutian Conference, and the fundamental principles, contents, and experience of the political work accumulated, which represents the unique political advantages of the Chinese People's Liberation Army and a magic weapon to defeat the enemy. In January 1987, the Central Military Commission's “Decisions on Military Political Work in the New Period” systematically summarized the fine tradition of military political work for the first time: adhering to the principle of the Party leading the army and the purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly; educating troops with Marxism-Leninism, Mao Zedong Thought and the correct line of the Party; implementing the principles of unity between officers and soldiers, military and civilians, and disintegrating the enemy; implementing political democracy, economic democracy, and military democracy; abiding by the “three main rules of discipline and eight points for attention”; adhering to the principle of seeking truth from facts and the mass line; carrying forward the spirit of patriotism, internationalism and revolutionary heroism; selecting and appointing cadres in accordance with the principle of placing equal stress on integrity and ability; strengthening the construction of Party organizations in the army, and giving play to the core leadership role of Party committees, the fighting fortress role of Party branches, and the exemplary vanguard role of Party members, etc. The "Regulations on Political Work" promulgated by the Central Military Commission in January 1991 and May 1995 affirmed the above-mentioned statements and summaries of the fine traditions of political work, with only some text adjustment and enrichment for individual content. The “Regulations on Political Work” amended in 2003 raised the fine tradition of political work to the principle level and proposed 10 basic principles that political work must follow, further enhancing the ideological, theoretical and authoritative nature of the fine tradition of military political work. The “Regulations on Political Work” revised in 2010 summarized the principles that political work must follow as follows: adhering to the Party's absolute leadership over the army; adhering to the nature and purpose of the people's army; adhering to arming officers and soldiers with scientific theory, and cultivating the core values of contemporary revolutionary soldiers; adhering to putting ideological and political construction in the first place of army building; adhering to carrying out work centered on the modernization of the army; adhering to people-oriented and promoting the all-round development of officers and soldiers; adhering to unity between officers and soldiers, military and civilians, disintegrating the enemy; adhering to promoting political democracy, economic democracy and military democracy; adhering to governing the army in accordance with the law and with strict discipline; and adhering to the unity of fine tradition and innovative development.

In October 2014 at the Political Work Conference of PLA, Xi Jinping proposed to continue to carry forward the glorious tradition and excellent style of our army ’s political work, focusing on the issues of army building, especially ideological and political construction, and summarized the fine traditions of “11 adherences to” in military political work: adhering to the fundamental principles and systems of the Party commanding guns, adhering to the fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, adhering to the ideological line of seeking truth from facts, adhering to the basic style of the mass line, adhering to arming officers and soldiers with scientific theory, adhering to playing the serving and guaranteeing role around the central tasks of the Party and the army, adhering to fair and decent selection and use of cadres, adhering to unity of officers and soldiers and promoting democracy, adhering to practicing conscious and strict discipline, adhering to the revolutionary spirit of hard work, sacrifice and devotion, and adhering to leading by example by Party members and cadres.The fine tradition of military political work was created by the people's army under the leadership of Communist Party of China in the long-term struggle with blood and life. It is the fundamental principle and content of our army's political work, and also a unique political advantage and a magic weapon to defeat the enemy. In the meantime, it also provides valuable experience and impetus to promote the ideological and political construction of the people across the country.