- International Affairs
- US Foreign Policy
- History
- Military
- World
In November 2014, Central Military Commission Chairman Xi Jinping used the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the 1929 Gutian Conference to convene a critical meeting on political work in the People’s Liberation Army. Xi addressed the 420 generals and senior military officials in attendance for the two-day meeting, reminding them of Mao’s dictum about party control of the military and connecting the themes to his current anti-corruption campaign. This article provides historical context for the 2014 meeting, describes the scene, analyzes the key speeches, dissects the content of the pre- and post-meeting propaganda and concludes with an assessment of the short- and long-term implications.
