Published by ChinaMNC · Ganzhou

What China's Long March Commemoration Signals for Foreign Founders Building Companies in China

A speech marking the 90th anniversary of the Long March, reframed as context foreign founders can use when registering and operating a company in China: discipline, local adaptation, and long-term commitment.

Why a Historical Speech Matters to Founders Doing Business in China

China's official government website published a speech by Xi Jinping at a gathering commemorating the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's Long March. The text is historical and political rather than regulatory, so it does not change registration rules, tax policy, or investment rules. For foreign founders, its value is different: it sets out the operating principles Chinese officials repeatedly cite when describing how organizations succeed in China. Read as context, it offers a useful lens on the expectations that can shape how your China entity is treated over time.

The speech recounts that in the early 1930s the country faced internal and external crises, and that the Red Army's main forces undertook a march from October 1934 to October 1936 across more than ten provinces, covering 25,000 li, crossing nearly a hundred rivers, and fighting more than 600 battles. Forces remaining in base areas, Red Army units in the northwest, the Northeast anti-Japanese forces, and party organizations in Kuomintang-held areas also contributed. Xi describes the march as a turning point that opened a new phase of the revolution.

Four Principles the Speech Emphasizes

Correct leadership and clear decision-making

The speech credits the January 1935 Zunyi meeting with establishing Mao Zedong's leadership position and beginning to form the first generation of central leadership around him. It argues that correct leadership was decisive to the march's outcome. For founders, the practical parallel is governance: a China subsidiary with clear authority, documented decision rights, and a single accountable leader tends to move faster than one with diffuse control between headquarters and local management.

Perseverance through difficulty

Xi describes the marchers as holding firm under extreme hardship and displaying resolve rather than retreat. The business translation is patience. Building a China entity involves licensing, bank account opening, tax registration, and local hiring, each with its own timeline. Founders who plan for a multi-year horizon, rather than expecting rapid returns, are better positioned to absorb delays.

Independence and adapting to reality

The speech stresses that the party moved away from dogmatic application of theory and learned to solve problems independently and pragmatically, including through flexible tactics suited to actual conditions. This is the most directly transferable point. China operations rarely succeed when a foreign parent simply replicates its home-market playbook. Localizing product, pricing, channel, and employment practice to actual market conditions is presented here as a virtue, not a compromise.

Support from local people

Xi notes that the marchers won public support by disciplined conduct and by addressing the needs of ordinary people, and that this support was a source of strength. For a foreign-invested company, the analogue is community and stakeholder relationships: local employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where you operate. Compliance and fair treatment of staff are framed as strategic, not merely legal, matters.

The "Long March Spirit" as Described

The speech defines the spirit of the Long March as placing the fundamental interests of the nation above all else, holding firm to ideals and beliefs, fearing no hardship, persisting in independence and pragmatism, considering the whole situation, observing discipline, and staying close to the people. It calls this spirit a lasting source of motivation.

It also links the history to current goals: since the 18th Party Congress, the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society has been met, and the country is now focused on the second centenary goal of building a modern socialist country, described as advancing national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization.

Five Commitments Tied to the "New Long March"

The speech lists commitments for the period ahead. These are policy orientations, not rules aimed at foreign firms, but they indicate where official attention is directed.

• Upholding ideals and purpose: continued adherence to the guiding ideology and to serving the people.
• High-quality development: implementing the five-sphere integrated plan and the four-pronged comprehensive strategy, applying the new development philosophy, building a new development pattern, and pursuing qualitative and quantitative economic growth with common prosperity.
• Managing complex challenges: balancing development and security and preparing for significant risks.
• Building a world-class military: pursuing the centenary military goal and modernizing national defense.
• Party leadership and discipline: strengthening party building and self-governance.

For founders, the second point is the most relevant: the emphasis on high-quality development and on development that benefits the population suggests continued scrutiny of how companies treat employees and contribute locally, alongside growth targets.

How to Use This as a Founder

Treat the speech as background, not as compliance guidance. Three practical takeaways stand out. First, invest in local leadership with real authority, because the text repeatedly ties success to clear, correct decision-making. Second, plan for a long horizon and budget time for administrative steps. Third, localize operations and maintain disciplined, fair relationships with employees and communities, since the speech presents public support as a decisive factor. None of this substitutes for checking current registration, licensing, and tax requirements with qualified advisers.

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