File photo: On March 5, 2021, the day before the opening of China‘s National People‘s Congress (NPC), police patrol Tiananmen Square with dogs on a day of heavy air pollution in Beijing. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images.)
[People News] Following the conclusion of the Fourth Plenary Session of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, where it was confirmed that Xi Jinping had not lost three titles, He Weidong and Miao Hua were confirmed to be 'double expelled', and Zhang Shengmin was promoted to Vice Chairman of the Military Commission, many analysts abroad noted that despite these developments, Xi Jinping still has not regained military power, and his authority within the party is weakening. The power struggle at the top of the Communist Party continues, with many unresolved issues that will need to be addressed in the next plenary session.
This is further evidenced by the differing statements made by several members of the Politburo Standing Committee and the Central Committee during their study sessions after the meeting, which indicate a division at the top and a decline in Xi's authority (see 'Differing Statements from Politburo Standing Committee Members Indicate Internal Division in the Communist Party'). So what is the military's position?
On the surface, the editorial in the Military Daily on October 24 reiterated loyalty phrases such as 'Chairman Xi at the helm' and 'two-four-four-two', but the sequence of the writing suggests that Xi does not actually hold military power (see 'Has Chairman Xi Regained Military Power?').
On October 26, the Military Report featured a noteworthy announcement: From October 23 to 24, the Xi Jinping Strong Military Thought Research Centre hosted the eighth "Strong Military Forum" in Beijing. Around 150 leaders and experts from the Publicity Department of the Communist Party, the Military Commission, and relevant military and local units attended the seminar. This year's forum serves as a significant academic event aimed at thoroughly studying and implementing the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Party, while also continuing to deepen political training. The theme of the forum was "Deepening the Study and Research of Xi Jinping's Strong Military Thought and Establishing a Good Image of the People's Army for a Century," which emphasises a profound understanding of the decisive significance of the "Two Establishments" and a deep exploration of Xi Jinping's Strong Military Thought, among other topics.
The "Strong Military Forum" was established in 2018 under the guidance of the Military Commission of the Communist Party and the Military Science Academy, and it has been held for eight consecutive sessions. While this report may initially seem to simply promote Xi, a comparison with the reports from the previous seven sessions reveals an interesting shift: the organisers of the first seven sessions were the Military Science Academy of the Communist Party, whereas this year's organiser has transitioned to the "Xi Jinping Strong Military Thought Research Centre."
The Chinese Communist Party Military Science Academy is a unit directly under the Central Military Commission. It was previously classified at the level of a military region but was downgraded to the level of a deputy theatre following the military reforms in 2017. There has been no public news release online regarding the establishment date of the 'Xi Jinping Strong Military Thought Research Centre' or its departmental affiliation. However, existing articles signed with 'Establishment of the Xi Jinping Strong Military Thought Research Centre' suggest that it can be traced back to August 2018. The exact date of establishment remains unclear, but prior to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the 'Chairman Xi Strategic Thought Research Centre' was inaugurated at the National Defence University, indicating a possible connection between the two.
Previous reports show that on November 1, 2018, the Military Science Academy held the first 'Strong Military Forum' under the direction of the Military Commission, attended by over 150 theoretical workers from military and civilian institutions and research organisations. The forum extolled Xi's strong military thought as 'radiating brilliant truth and infinite ideological charm' and asserted that 'we will unswervingly implement Xi Jinping's strong military thought throughout the entire process of national defence and military construction'. Clearly, the primary purpose of the forum was to promote Xi's strong military thought.
From September 5 to 6, 2019, the second 'Strong Military Forum' took place, focusing on 'in-depth study and implementation of Xi Jinping's strong military thought, with the theme of the historical achievements and insights from 70 years of national defence and military modernisation'. More than 240 experts and scholars from over 70 military and civilian units participated in the discussion forum.
The third "Strong Army Forum" was held on September 22, 2020, focusing on the theme of "In-depth study and implementation of Chairman Xi's important discourse on military struggle preparation." The forum aimed to comprehensively explore new ideas and strategies for effectively preparing for military struggle from a new starting point. Over 100 experts and scholars from various military and civilian units participated in the on-site seminar, emphasising the importance of studying and implementing Chairman Xi's discourse on military struggle preparation.
The fourth "Strong Army Forum" took place on June 24, 2021, with the theme "Reflecting on the century-long journey of the Party's founding, striving towards the centenary goal of building a strong military." More than 150 experts and scholars from numerous military and civilian units attended the event.
The fifth "Strong Army Forum" was held from August 1 to 2, 2022. It saw participation from over 100 individuals, including academicians, members of academic departments, and renowned scholars from military research institutions, party schools, and military enterprises, as well as leaders from military commission agencies, theatre commands, and relevant military departments. They engaged in discussions at the main panel and three sub-panels.
The main discussion panel centred on the theme of "Learning and implementing Xi Jinping's thought on strengthening the military, accelerating the modernisation of national defence and the military." It referenced loyalty phrases such as "two four four two" and "implementing the military commission chairman's responsibility system," emphasizing the need to "thoroughly summarize the great achievements since the establishment of the military, particularly in the new era of military strengthening, and deeply explore the significant meaning, rich connotation, spiritual essence, and practical requirements of Xi Jinping's thought on strengthening the military." The elevation of praise for Xi's military strengthening thought has reached a new pinnacle.
The sixth "Strong Army Forum" took place from June 15 to 16, 2023, with over 400 participants. These included representatives from the Military Commission, various military regions, relevant departments and troops from different branches of the military, as well as leaders, experts, and scholars from military and civilian educational and research institutions, along with military enterprises. The forum aimed to deeply study "Xi Thought" and emphasised the importance of "learning and implementing Xi Jinping's strong military thought, and gathering insights to discuss strategies and measures for accelerating the modernisation of national defence and the military on the new journey".
On April 25, 2024, the New Era Political Military Building Theory Seminar and the seventh "Strong Army Forum" were convened in Beijing. Miao Hua, a recently dismissed member of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China and the director of the Political Work Department of the Military Commission, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. Miao Hua notably praised Xi, stating, "We must deeply comprehend Chairman Xi's important discussions and decisions regarding political military building, strengthen our mission to advance political military building on the new journey, further unify our thoughts, wills, and actions, firmly support the 'two establishments', and achieve the 'two safeguards', while comprehensively implementing the responsibility system of the Chairman of the Military Commission".
Interestingly, previous reports from the seven sessions always indicated that the Academy of Military Sciences was the organiser. However, this year, the event is organised by the Xi Jinping Strong Military Thought Research Centre, which represents a clear downgrade in the praise for Xi. This shift reflects the attitude of the Military Commission and the military's stance towards Xi. It suggests that Xi does not truly hold military power; otherwise, such a situation would not be permitted.
Furthermore, while the participants in the previous seven discussion forums primarily consisted of leaders and representatives from the Military Commission, theatre commands, and relevant military departments, this year's statement reveals that the participants include 'leaders and experts from the Central Propaganda Department, the Military Commission, and relevant military and local units.' This indicates that not only did leaders from various theatre commands and military departments not attend, but the Central Propaganda Department, headed by Cai Qi, surprisingly sent representatives. This further underscores Xi's apparent difficulties in maintaining control over the military.
(First published in People News)△
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