China’s leader’s thought of strengthening the army for 60 years has been rooted in time.
Data map: Training of honor guards of the PLA Armed Forces
On April 23rd this year, China Navy held a grand military parade in the waters near Qingdao, which can be regarded as a prelude to the 60th National Day military parade of New China. China’s Ministry of National Defense said that this year’s National Day military parade will focus on the achievements of the construction of the armed forces system with China characteristics, with domestic main battle equipment as the mainstay.
If equipment is a metaphysical tool, then the thought of national defense and army building is a metaphysical way to guide the development of military forces. In the past 60 years, the tool of China’s army has changed from "made in all countries" to "information-based", while the Tao of China’s army has changed with the times and made a unique way.
From "people’s war" to "the road of elite soldiers with China characteristics", from "military reform with China characteristics" to "Scientific Outlook on Development as a guide" … Since the founding of New China 60 years ago, the world pattern has changed and historical conditions have changed constantly, and China’s national defense and army building are facing different topics at different times. The leaders of China in the past dynasties not only persisted in the same strain, but also innovated and developed according to the times when they worked out the strategy of strengthening the army.
现代化强军之路 改革步入“深水区”
抗战初期，中国共产党人已经在思考“军队现代化”这个命题。十一年后，在共和国成立庆典的阅兵式上，解放军拿着“万国造”的武器，用骡马拖拽着火炮从天安门前走过。这一刻，建设现代化国防和军队的课题更加凸显。
一九五0年九月，毛泽东提出：“中国必须建立强大的国防军。”百业待兴的新中国，在重重困难中，进行着国防现代化的初步探索和实践。从那时起，“现代化”成为中国国防和军队建设的根本之“纲”，贯穿于几代领导人的思路之中。
经历了建国初期时的波折与停顿，上世纪八十年代，邓小平指出，军队的中心任务是解决现代化的问题。在中国改革开放的进程中，邓小平与其继承者，一直着力于“建设强大的现代化正规化革命军队”这一课题。
“中国国防和军队建设现代化的大政方针，由毛泽东奠定基础，邓小平提出蓝图，到江泽民则是作出了具体的规划。”国防大学战略研究部副主任张伊宁少将说。
He believes that at present, military reform has entered the "deep water area." "The military reform stresses four innovations: theoretical innovation, technological innovation, management innovation and organizational innovation. We have done some work on the first three." Zhang Yining said that in the past, the military reform mainly focused on changing the scale, reducing the number and improving the technical level. "Organizational innovation is the most difficult and critical. At this stage, it is mainly to promote the reform of organizational form, which is the most arduous reform."
Change and invariability are rooted in time and never change.
For a long time after the founding of New China, national defense and army building were in a state of war for a long time. At the end of 1970s, the international and domestic situation changed greatly. At that time, Deng Xiaoping made a judgment on the issue of war and peace: "It is possible that a large-scale world war will not happen in a long time, and there is hope for maintaining world peace." Based on this judgment, China’s national defense and army building turned to the track of peacetime construction.
It is a remarkable feature of several generations of leaders in China to adjust their thinking on national defense and army building. Shortly after the end of the Gulf War in 1991, Jiang Zemin pointed out: "Meeting the challenges of world military development is our unavoidable historical responsibility." China’s military strategic policy began to change to prepare to win local wars under the conditions of modern technology, especially high technology, and then put forward the strategy of "strengthening the army through science and technology".
After the September 11th incident in the United States, the international situation has changed and new issues have emerged in domestic security. In Hu Jintao’s exposition on national defense and army building under the new situation, there is a statement that "improve the army’s ability to respond to various security threats and complete diversified military tasks, resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and contribute to the maintenance of world peace". Based on this, Hu Jintao put forward a new mission for the army in the new century.
"Things that have changed in the past 60 years are all made according to changes in historical conditions and are formulated to adapt to the situation in different periods." Zhang Yining said, "What remains unchanged is the root and soul of China’s army, which is to listen to the party’s command, serve the people and safeguard national interests."
The principle of building the People’s Army founded by Mao Zedong is upheld by its successors. After the reform and opening up, the army faced many new situations and problems. Deng Xiaoping repeatedly stressed that the army should always adhere to its own nature: the army of the party, the army of the people, and the army of socialist countries; Later, Jiang Zemin pointed out that the party’s absolute leadership over the army is the eternal soul of China’s army, emphasizing that the army should "win and not deteriorate"; In the new century, Hu Jintao vigorously advocated the fine tradition of listening to the Party’s command, serving the people and being brave and good at fighting in the army.
May peace last forever and never seek hegemony.
During the naval parade, Hu Jintao told the guests from all over the world that no matter how developed, China would never seek hegemony.
Although the outside world is full of all kinds of "China threat theory", combing the history, we can find that from Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping to Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, several generations of China leaders have declared "no hegemony" on various occasions. Looking through the six national defense white papers published by China, we can find the statement that "China pursues a defensive national defense policy".
China people have the dream of "strengthening the army", but they always hold the hope of peace. "China’s army will always be an important force in safeguarding world peace and promoting common development." Behind this commitment, it is also the consistent thinking of several generations of leaders in China.
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