Introduction by Mathieu Duchâtel, Director of Institut Montaigne’s Asia Program
"Xi Jinping’s thought on a powerful military" (习近平强军思想) is an entry of its own on Baidu encyclopedia, and a category in the Chinese press and in specialized publications. Xi’s thought is often described as a "series of guiding principles for building a new type of people’s army that dares to fight wars and that wins wars" (建设“敢打仗,打胜仗”的新型人民军队).
Indeed, readiness for war has become a leitmotiv in Xi Jinping’s speeches to the military. Last October, visiting a Marines unit in Chaozhou in Fujian province, Xi Jinping called the Marines corps to "put all their mind and energy in preparing for war" (要把全部心思和精力放在备战打仗上). The slogan "dares to fight wars and win wars" can be seen painted or engraved on many walls in military sites in China. In the first 2021 order issued by the Central Military Commission in early January, and signed by Xi Jinping, the People’s Liberation Army is asked to "resolutely implement the policy directions of the Party Centre and the Central Military Commission, and carry forward a fighting spirit without fearing hardship or fearing death" (坚决贯彻党中央和中央军委决策指示,发扬一不怕苦、二不怕死战斗精神).