Published by ChinaMNC · Xuanwei

What a High-Level Beijing Commemoration Signals for Foreign Founders Building Companies in China

A practical reading for foreign founders of the October 22 commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the Long March, held at the Great Hall of the People, and what the official messaging suggests about policy continuity, leadership authority and long-term planning for foreign-invested enterprises in China.

Why a Commemoration in Beijing Matters to Foreign Founders

On October 22, a major commemorative meeting marking the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Red Army's Long March was held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, state president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered an important speech. Senior leaders including Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi and Vice President Han Zheng attended. Zhao Leji presided.

For foreign founders registering or running a company in China, events of this kind are not merely ceremonial. They are among the clearest windows into how the leadership frames continuity, discipline and long-term direction — themes that shape regulatory predictability, policy priorities and the operating environment in which foreign-invested enterprises plan and invest.

What the Official Messaging Emphasized

History as a source of forward-looking guidance

Xi stressed that remembering history is the way to open up the future, and called on the whole Party, the military and people of all ethnic groups to unite more closely around the Party Central Committee, carry forward the spirit of the Long March, keep striving and press ahead, so as to advance the cause pioneered by earlier revolutionaries and create new achievements on the new Long March.

He described the Long March from October 1934 to October 1936, led by the Party and involving the First, Second and Fourth Front Armies and the 25th Army, as a great undertaking that shook the world. According to the speech, the Red Army crossed more than ten provinces, marched 25,000 li, broke through encirclement and interception by more than a million enemy troops, and achieved the strategic transfer north to resist Japanese aggression.

Four sources of the victory, as stated

The speech attributed the victory to four factors, each presented as a lesson:

• Correct Party leadership, described as decisive for the outcome.
• Firm revolutionary will, with the argument that ideals and beliefs can generate enormous strength.
• Independence and self-reliance, seeking truth from facts, with the claim that Marxist principles must be closely combined with China's concrete realities.
• Support from the broad masses, described as the enduring source of strength and backing.

Xi said the Long March produced a great spirit embodying the power of loyalty, truth, justice and unity, and that this spirit remains a valuable source of motivation for overcoming difficulties.

The "Five Musts" and What They Signal for Business

In outlining the path forward, Xi set out what Zhao Leji later summarized as the "five musts." These points are worth reading closely because they map onto policy areas that directly affect foreign-invested companies.

1. Continuity of leadership and ideology

The first requirement is to uphold the Party's ideals, beliefs and purpose, fully implement the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, remember the original mission, and rely on the people to create new achievements. For founders, the signal is continuity in the overarching policy framework rather than abrupt change.

2. High-quality development and common prosperity

The second is to unswervingly promote high-quality development, meet people's growing needs for a better life, advance the "Five-Sphere Integrated Plan" and the "Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy," pursue both qualitative improvement and reasonable quantitative growth of the economy, and promote common prosperity for all.

Practically, this points to continued emphasis on upgrading industrial capacity, quality and efficiency — relevant to foreign founders choosing sectors, structuring operations and aligning with local development goals.

3. Development and security together

The third requirement is to undertake the great struggle with many new historical features, better coordinate development and security, and tackle difficulties, risks and challenges with a sense of historical initiative. For companies, this reinforces the expectation that compliance, data handling, supply-chain resilience and risk management will remain central to how foreign-invested entities are expected to operate.

4. Military modernization

The fourth is to speed up building the people's military into a world-class military, uphold absolute Party leadership over the military, meet the centenary goal of military building on schedule, and advance national defense and military modernization with high quality. This is primarily a defense matter, but it underscores the broader priority placed on security and technological self-reliance.

5. Party discipline and self-governance

The fifth is to uphold Party leadership and strengthen Party building, continue full and rigorous Party self-governance, and ensure the Party remains the strong leadership core of socialism with Chinese characteristics. For foreign founders, consistent emphasis on discipline and governance suggests continued attention to integrity, anti-corruption and orderly administration — factors that affect licensing, approvals and interactions with public bodies.

How Foreign Founders Can Use This Reading

None of the speech sets out specific rules for company registration, tax or foreign investment. It is a political address, not a regulatory document. Still, founders can draw practical orientation from it:

• Plan on policy continuity. The framing stresses steady advancement toward long-term goals, including the second centenary goal and Chinese-style modernization. Founders should build multi-year plans rather than anticipating sharp reversals.
• Align with quality-oriented priorities. Emphasis on high-quality development and reasonable growth favors businesses that can demonstrate upgrading, efficiency and contribution to local economic priorities.
• Treat compliance as core infrastructure. The pairing of development and security supports a conservative approach to regulatory compliance, data and risk.
• Engage with local realities. The repeated theme of combining general principles with China's concrete conditions is a reminder that local implementation and market context matter as much as national policy direction.

Scale and Setting of the Event

According to the source, about 3,000 people attended, including leading officials from central Party, state, military and mass organizations and Beijing municipality, representatives of democratic parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce and personages without party affiliation, veteran representatives, representatives of PLA and armed police personnel, and representatives of residents of the capital. The hall displayed the event title, the Party emblem, a "1936–2026" marker and ten red flags.

Zhao Leji said the speech reviews the Party's leadership of the Long March, summarizes its significance, explains the winning path it embodied, expounds the historical value of the Long March spirit, and sets out the "five musts." He described the speech as highly political, thoughtful and instructive, and called for it to be studied and implemented.

Key Takeaway for Founders

The clearest business-relevant message is continuity: the leadership presents its program as a long march toward established goals, combining development with security and discipline. Foreign founders should read this as a prompt to keep structures compliant, align with quality-driven growth priorities, and plan for stability rather than volatility — while recognizing that the article itself contains no operational rules for registration, tax or investment.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.