Published by ChinaMNC · Lincang

What a National Commemoration Signals for Foreign Founders Building in China

China's 90th anniversary commemoration of the Long March offered a policy speech with practical signals for foreign founders weighing long-term operations in China: resilience messaging, continuity of leadership, and a renewed emphasis on quality growth.

A National Moment, Read From the Founder's Desk

On 22 October, a commemorative gathering 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 the principal address. Senior leaders 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, the event is not a business announcement, but the language used in it is a useful read on the operating environment you are entering.

Why a Historical Commemoration Matters to Operators

China's official calendar is a reliable indicator of priorities. When the top leadership gathers for a major anniversary and the speech is framed around perseverance, self-reliance and long-term goals, that framing tends to echo through policy communication in the months that follow. Founders should treat such speeches as context, not as regulation. No new registration rule, tax measure or licensing change was announced here. What the address does provide is the vocabulary officials will use: resilience, high-quality development, unity and steady progress.

The Facts of the Event

• The gathering took place on the morning of 22 October at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
• The auditorium carried the event title, the Party emblem, a "1936–2026" marker and ten red flags; a slogan on the second-floor gallery called for unity around the Party Central Committee and pursuit of Chinese-style modernisation.
• Around 3,000 people attended, including central and Beijing officials, representatives of democratic parties and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, non-party figures, veterans' representatives, PLA and armed police personnel, and residents of the capital.
• The source is the Yunnan Provincial People's Government portal, citing Xinhua.

What the Speech Emphasised

Xi described the Long March, from October 1934 to October 1936, as a strategic feat carried out by the Red Army's First, Second and Fourth Front Armies and the 25th Army. He attributed its success to four factors: correct Party leadership, firm revolutionary conviction, independent and fact-based decision-making, and the support of the people.

He then carried those lessons into the present. According to the speech, the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects has been met on schedule, and the country is now working toward the second centenary goal of building a great modern socialist country, with Chinese-style modernisation as the path.

The "Five Musts"

The address set out five requirements for the new journey, each with practical relevance for companies operating locally:

• Stay anchored to the Party's ideals and purpose, and rely on the people to create new achievements.
• Advance high-quality development, meet rising public expectations, pursue the five-sphere integrated plan and the four-pronged comprehensive strategy, seek qualitative improvement alongside reasonable quantitative growth, and promote common prosperity.
• Take on new forms of struggle, better coordinate development and security, and address risks and challenges with historical initiative.
• Build the people's military into a world-class force, uphold absolute Party leadership of the military, meet the centenary military objective on schedule and modernise national defence.
• Strengthen Party leadership and Party building, continue full and rigorous self-governance, and keep the Party as the core leadership of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Reading the Signals as a Founder

Nothing in the speech changes registration procedures, capital requirements, visa categories or tax obligations. Founders should keep consulting official channels for those. The value lies in three directions of emphasis that foreign-invested companies will likely encounter in local government communication.

1. Quality Over Speed

The explicit pairing of qualitative improvement with reasonable quantitative growth suggests continued attention to the substance of investment, not only its size. Founders pitching local partners or development zones may find more receptiveness to projects that show technology content, employment quality or supply-chain upgrading.

2. Development and Security Together

The call to better coordinate development and security is consistent with the compliance environment many foreign firms already navigate: data handling, export controls, cybersecurity and cross-border flows. Build compliance into your China entity from the start rather than retrofitting it.

3. Continuity and Patience

The speech's central metaphor, that the Long March's road keeps extending, signals that leadership frames national goals across decades. For founders, the practical translation is to plan your China presence on a multi-year horizon, with local leadership, local documentation and local relationships that outlast a single funding cycle or product launch.

What This Article Does Not Tell You

It does not announce incentives, approvals, pilot programmes or sector-specific openings, and it should not be cited in an investment memorandum as evidence of policy support. The source contains no commercial measures. Founders should treat the text as a statement of political priorities and pair it with the specific regulations, local notices and implementing rules that govern their industry.

Practical Next Steps

• Keep your China entity's registration, scope of business and licences aligned with the current official catalogue; verify with the market regulation authorities in your city.
• Document your compliance posture on data, tax and labour, since security coordination remains a stated priority.
• Track local government work reports for how "high-quality development" is defined in your sector and city.
• Build local governance, including a resident legal representative or general manager where required, so decisions are not delayed by distance.
• Use official provincial portals and Xinhua for policy context, and professional advisers for decisions.

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