What clear messages did this important meeting convey? , Current Affairs News Eye丨From Gutian to Yan'an

In the golden autumn of 2014, the All-Army Political Work Conference was held in Gutian, Fujian. President Xi Jinping said, "I proposed to hold the All-Army Political Work Conference in Gutian to trace the roots, correct the original source, review the past and learn from the present, and guide the whole army to think about how our army has come to be, where are the current problems and gaps, where to go next, and what kind of army we should become under the new situation."

At the time of the summer solstice this year, the Central Military Commission's Political Work Conference was held in Yan'an, Shaanxi. After 10 years, why did President Xi personally decide to hold this important meeting? What did he emphasize at the meeting? From Gutian to Yan'an, what does the tracing back to the roots show? "Current Affairs News Eye" explains it for you.

Ten years ago, President Xi Jinping made a special trip to Gutian Town, Shanghang County, Fujian Province, to convene the first military political work conference in the new century, with profound meaning. In 1929, it was on this red land that Comrade Mao Zedong presided over the famous Gutian Conference. Gutian became the place where our party established the principles of building the party with ideology and building the army with politics, and where the foundation of our army's political work was laid and the new type of people's army was established.

On October 31, 2014, President Xi met with representatives of the All-Army Political Work Conference in Gutian, visited the Gutian Conference Site and Memorial Hall, paid homage to the Chairman Mao Memorial Garden, held discussions with representatives of veteran Red Army soldiers and military martyrs' families, ate a "Red Army meal" with grassroots officers and soldiers, and watched the "Red Traces - Red Army Slogan Display"... From early morning to dusk, his schedule was packed.

President Xi said at the time: "On the 85th anniversary of the Gutian Conference, we come here again to trace our roots and think deeply about where we started and why we started."

In June this year, President Xi came to Yan'an, Shaanxi with deep thoughts to attend the Political Work Conference of the Central Military Commission.

On the morning of the 17th, before attending the meeting, Chairman Xi led a group of people from the Military Commission and the main responsible comrades of various departments and units to pay homage to the Wangjiaping Revolutionary Site. This arrangement also has profound meaning.

Wangjiaping was the headquarters of the Central Military Commission from August 1937 to March 1947. It was an important decision-making and command center of the CPC Central Committee and the Central Military Commission during the Yan'an period. President Xi once said that during the war years, the CPC Central Committee and Chairman Mao used radio stations to command the entire party and the entire army. The "tick-tick" was the voice of the CPC Central Committee and Chairman Mao, and the entire party and the entire army unconditionally followed their orders. In Yan'an, the CPC Central Committee and the Central Military Commission led the magnificent national war of resistance and the War of Liberation.

△The former residence of the older generation of revolutionaries in the Wangjiaping Revolutionary Site.

At the Wangjiaping Revolutionary Site, President Xi visited the Central Military Commission meeting room, the former residence of the older generation of revolutionaries, the Central Military Commission auditorium and other places.

President Xi said, 10 years ago we went to Gutian to hold the political work conference of the entire army, and today we came to Yan'an to hold the political work conference of the Central Military Commission to trace our roots once again.

History can often be seen more clearly after time has passed. Tracing back to the source is to draw strength and continue to forge ahead.

After the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, President Xi Jinping's first trip out of Beijing was to lead the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee to visit the Yan'an Revolutionary Memorial, declaring the new central leadership's firm belief in carrying on the red bloodline, inheriting the spirit of struggle, and handing in a new excellent answer to history and the people on the new road to catch up.

This trip to Yan'an to trace our roots is to continuously advance the cause of strengthening the military.

△The Central Military Commission Auditorium in the Wangjiaping Revolutionary Site.

Ten years ago, it was President Xi Jinping who personally proposed to convene a political work conference for the entire army in Gutian.

President Xi pointed out at the meeting that "political work will always be the lifeline of our military." In his speech, he succinctly summarized the fine traditions of "11 persistences", pointed out prominent issues in 10 areas, and clearly emphasized "four firmly established" and "five efforts to be made."

President Xi’s important speech at the Gutian Army-wide Political Work Conference profoundly expounded on the major issues of the Party’s ideological and political construction of the army under the new historical conditions, clearly put forward the contemporary theme of the political work of the People’s Army, and established the grand strategy of political building of the army under the new circumstances.

This year's Central Military Commission Political Work Conference was also decided and convened by Chairman Xi himself.

On June 17, after visiting the Wangjiaping Revolutionary Site, President Xi came to the China Yan'an Cadre College, attended the Central Military Commission's Political Work Conference and delivered an important speech.

"Current Affairs News Eye" found that in February 2015, during President Xi's inspection trip to Shaanxi on the eve of the Spring Festival, he presided over a symposium on poverty alleviation and prosperity in the old revolutionary base areas of Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia at the China Yan'an Cadre College.

At this Central Military Commission Political Work Conference, President Xi fully affirmed the historic achievements in political building of the army in the new era.

He said that since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee has made a decisive decision to convene the Gutian Army-wide Political Work Conference, promoted political training in the spirit of rectification, and unswervingly governed the Party and the army in an all-round and strict manner. The determination and efforts are unprecedented, and historic achievements have been made in political building of the army in the new era.

At the meeting, President Xi Jinping clearly pointed out that "without revolutionary political forging, there would be no great transformation of the people's army in the new era."

At the Central Military Commission's Political Work Conference, President Xi Jinping stressed the need to implement the strategy of building the military politically in the new era and provide strong political guarantees for the cause of strengthening the military.

In his speech, President Xi Jinping focused on three key words regarding political building of the army: “strategy”, “problems” and “key points”.

"Strategy" refers to the strategy of building the army politically in the new era.

In November 2020, the Political Bureau of the Central Committee pointed out when reviewing the "Regulations on Political Work of the Military" that the revision of the "Regulations on Political Work of the Military" is of great significance to strengthening the Party's leadership over the political work of the military and promoting the comprehensive implementation of the strategy of political building of the military in the new era.

The 20th CPC National Congress stressed the need to build the army politically, strengthen it through reform, strengthen it through science and technology, strengthen it through talent, and govern it according to law. “Building the army politically” comes first.

At this Central Military Commission Political Work Conference, President Xi Jinping systematically expounded the strategy of building the army politically in the new era with "ten clarifications". He pointed out that the strategy of building the army politically in the new era must be fully and accurately studied and understood, implemented unswervingly, and continuously enriched and developed in practice.

The second keyword is problem-oriented.

At the Gutian All-Army Political Work Conference, President Xi Jinping made a profound analysis of 10 prominent problems in the army, especially in the ideological and political aspects and work style of leading cadres. He pointed out that the prominent problems among military cadres "have reached a point where they must be solved! Otherwise, the army is in danger of deterioration and discoloration."

At the Central Military Commission's Political Work Conference, President Xi Jinping made a profound analysis of the deep-seated contradictions and problems that need to be solved in the current political construction of the army. He stressed that these problems are manifested in politics, ideology, organization, style, discipline and other aspects, and the root lies in ideals and beliefs, party spirit cultivation, and official ethics and character.

At the meeting, President Xi pointed out that cadres at all levels, especially senior cadres, must put themselves in the picture, muster the courage to put aside their reputation and expose their shortcomings and mistakes, and with an attitude that digs deep into the roots and touches the soul, deeply reflect, earnestly rectify, solve the root problems of ideology, and push forward the in-depth and practical political building of the army.

△The Central Military Commission meeting room in the Wangjiaping Revolutionary Site.

At the Gutian Army-wide Political Work Conference 10 years ago, President Xi Jinping highlighted the "five key areas" for our army's political work under the new circumstances: focus on strengthening the military spirit, focus on the management of high- and middle-level cadres, focus on style construction and the fight against corruption, focus on cultivating fighting spirit, and focus on innovation and development of political work.

At this year's Central Military Commission Political Work Conference, President Xi pointed out that in order to advance the political building of the army on the new journey, we must focus on six key areas: first, enhance the consciousness and thoroughness of ideological transformation, second, improve the leadership, organizational and execution capabilities of party organizations, third, strengthen cadre team building, fourth, eradicate the soil and conditions for the breeding of corruption, fifth, boost the spirit of doing things and entrepreneurship, and sixth, restore and promote the fine traditions of political work.

"Insist on educating senior cadres first", "Improve the accuracy of knowing affairs and people", "Take the training of military talents as a strategic task", "Enrich the toolbox for punishing new types of corruption and hidden corruption", "Dynamically update the list of problems of formalism and bureaucracy", "Open up the 'last mile' of implementing policies and systems such as military benefits"... These measures mentioned by President Xi are both targeted and pragmatic.

The Central Military Commission's political work conference lasted from June 17 to 19. Focusing on studying and implementing the spirit of President Xi Jinping's important speech, the conference studied and deployed major issues related to promoting political building of the army in the new era and new journey.

President Xi Jinping once pointed out that "persisting in building the army ideologically and politically is the political guarantee for our army to fight and win battles. The strength of the people's army lies in this."

From Gutian to Yan'an, the two important meetings in the past 10 years are milestones in the history of the People's Army. Under the guidance of Xi Jinping's thoughts on strengthening the army, the People's Army will implement the strategy of building the army politically in the new era, consolidate its foundation, open up new things, and move forward forever, from victory to new and greater victory.

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