Party must fight graft to win in ‘new Long March’: Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged unswerving efforts to promote clean governance and fight corruption at a grand meeting on Friday, as the nation commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of the Long March.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed that efforts must be made to strengthen the CPC’s ability to purify, improve and innovate itself, when delivering a speech at the event.

All Party members must uphold and safeguard the leadership of the Party and consciously endorse the stance of the Party and the people. “They should be loyal to the Party, share the Party’s concerns and shoulder responsibilities with the Party,” Xi said.

“In carrying forward the great spirit of the Long March, we must strengthen the leadership of the Party, strictly govern the Party and work hard to promote the building of the Party,” he noted.

From October 1934 to October 1936, the Red Army, the forerunner of the People’s Liberation Army, carried out daring military maneuvers that laid the foundation for the eventual victory of the CPC in the Chinese civil war. The Red Army marched through raging rivers, snowbound mountains and arid grasslands as they fought to escape the then ruling Kuomintang’s attempts to destroy the CPC.

Meanwhile, efforts should be made to strengthen and regulate political life within the Party, according to Xi.

He called on Party members to do their utmost to fulfill the responsibilities and tasks arranged by the Party.

He said the Party must adhere to the principle of doing everything for, and relying on, the people to strive for a better life.

Xi said, “the victory of the Long March tells us that the masses have endless wisdom and limitless power.”

He described the history of the Long March as the history of a close relationship between the military and civilians.

Going through thick and thin with the people was the fundamental guarantee of the CPC and the Red Army as it achieved victory in the Long March, Xi said, adding it is also the guarantee for the Party to overcome difficulties and risks.

As there is “a new Long March” ahead, the entire Party must bear in mind who they are working for and on whom they should rely, as these questions are touchstones to test the nature of a political party and administration, Xi said.

He urged Party cadres and members to always consider the stand of the people as the fundamental political stance and attach great importance to their interests.

Meanwhile, he stressed that to carry forth the Long March spirit and advance in “a new Long March,” people must solidify their confidence in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Various events to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Long March have been held across China.