Beijing, Oct 22 Ahead of a key meeting of the ruling Communist Party, Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for a “New Long March”, invoking the historic 1930s retreat that proved a watershed in the Party’s history, paving the way for Mao Zedong’s rise to power.
The Long March, from 1934 to 1936, was a turning point in the history of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC). It helped Mao Zedong consolidate his leadership, preserve the Communist movement and lay the groundwork for the eventual Communist victory in China in 1949.
“This earth-shattering revolutionary feat holds great significance in the history of our Party, country and military, and has a profound impact on our path toward the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” said Xi, addressing a meeting in Beijing on Thursday to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Long March.
Xi, the Party’s core leader, stressed that the Party’s right leadership and the establishment of Mao Zedong’s core position were decisive for the victory of the Red Army’s Long March, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
He warned that the path ahead would not be smooth and called on the Party, military and public to prepare for severe external headwinds.
His warning comes ahead of the plenary session of the Party’s Central Committee, which is due to take place in Beijing from October 26 to 29.
According to an official announcement, its main agenda is to study major issues on advancing the Party’s full and rigorous self-governance, with the Political Bureau set to report its work to the CPC Central Committee.
Xi said that to forge ahead on the new Long March, it is imperative to stay committed to the Party’s ideals, convictions and purpose and rely closely on the people to create new achievements, emphasising that a strong and united Party leadership is vital to victory.
He also reiterated that the military should obey the Party’s leadership.
“On the new journey, facing complex international and domestic situations, we must dare to fight and be good at fighting,” Xi said.
He also called on the entire country to bolster its resolve and prepare to withstand “high winds, raging waves and even dangerous storms”, emphasising a need to balance national development with national security.
His remarks come amid a continued economic slowdown, escalating global turmoil and sustained friction with Western powers.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) trimmed its projection of China’s economic growth for 2026 by 0.1 percentage point to 4.5 per cent, cautioning that resilient exports are no longer sufficient to fully offset sluggish domestic demand. The revised projection is down from the previous forecast of 4.6 per cent.
“Sluggishness in domestic consumption and weakening investment amid continued property sector strains were only partly offset by robust export performance,” the IMF said.
“Higher global oil prices, together with protracted uncertainty and structural headwinds, are expected to weigh on activity,” it said, adding that policy support by Beijing was expected to prevent a “sharper slowdown”.
The plenary meeting is expected to focus on tightening Party governance, internal discipline and political loyalty, besides the economic slowdown.
The present 205-member Central Committee has faced unprecedented anti-corruption scrutiny. Of its full members, 35 have either been placed under investigation or stripped of their legislative seats, with many cited for disloyalty to the committee, according to calculations by the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.
(PTI News)
