Xi Jinping Links Long March Commemoration to China’s Modernization Agenda

What changed

Xi Jinping delivered a speech on October 22, 2026, at a ceremony marking the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army’s Long March victory. He presented the 1934–36 retreat, which covered more than 25,000 li, as a model for China’s current push on economic development, national security, military modernization and Communist Party leadership.

Why it matters

The address connects a historical commemoration to the government’s present governing agenda. Xi called for higher-quality growth, stronger national defense and continued centralized Party control, while framing each as part of a “new Long March” toward China’s modernization and national rejuvenation.

That makes the speech politically meaningful even without a new policy attached to it. It reinforces the idea that economic progress, security planning, military reform and Party discipline are not separate projects but parts of one national effort.

The practical consequences remain undefined. The speech set no new budget, timetable or measurable target, so its next significance will depend on whether existing programs are adjusted or new measures appear in these areas.