China’s top military command has rolled out a major education campaign to instil political loyalty to President Xi Jinping – an initiative aimed primarily at the top ranks of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
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In a notice on Tuesday to all personnel in the world’s second largest military force, the political work department of the powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) said the campaign should focus on the “key few” – a term the ruling Communist Party uses to describe senior officials with decision-making power on critical matters.
The CMC, the top decision-making and command body for the Chinese armed forces, is chaired by Xi.
“[We should] focus on the ‘key few’, to strengthen [their] learning and ideological transformation, to … truly achieve greater actual results in learning, understanding, believing and application [of Xi’s military thought],” the notice issued on the final day of China’s Lunar New Year break said.
The notice said the PLA must continue to use Xi’s political thought to “unite hearts and forge souls”, and study his thoughts on strengthening the military “deeply and persistently” by reading his original works repeatedly.
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It also advised the PLA to stay focused on its centenary goals, put lessons into practice and action, and carry out special education focused on the beliefs and values of officials and soldiers, while ensuring combat readiness.