Published by ChinaMNC · yunnan

What a High-Level Beijing Commemoration Signals for Foreign Founders Building Companies in China

A practical reading of the October 22 commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the Long March, held at the Great Hall of the People, for foreign founders registering and operating companies in China — grounded only in facts from the official report.

Why a Ceremony in Beijing Belongs on a Founder's Radar

On October 22, a commemoration marking the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' 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 an important speech. Senior leaders Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi and Vice President Han Zheng attended; Zhao Leji presided.

For a foreign founder registering or running a company in China, events like this are not about history alone. They set the vocabulary, priorities and expectations that shape how regulators, partners and local governments frame policy in the period ahead. The report offers a compact map of the themes official China intends to emphasize. Below is a practical reading, limited strictly to what the source states.

What the Report Actually Says

The facts of the event

The gathering took place on the morning of October 22 at the Great Hall of the People. The stage carried the event title, the Party emblem, a "1936–2026" marker and ten red flags. A banner on the second-floor gallery called for unity around the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping at the core, implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, carrying forward the spirit of the Long March, and striving for national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization. Around 3,000 people attended, including representatives from central Party, state and military departments, Beijing municipal leaders, democratic parties, the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, non-party figures, veterans, PLA and armed police personnel, and residents of the capital.

The historical account

Xi recalled that from October 1934 to October 1936 the Party led the First, Second and Fourth Front Armies and the 25th Army on the Long March, covering more than ten provinces and 25,000 li, breaking through encirclement by over a million enemy troops, defeating attempts to eliminate the Party and the Red Army, completing a strategic shift north to resist Japanese aggression, and opening a new phase of the Chinese revolution.

The four sources of victory

Xi attributed the victory to four factors: correct Party leadership, including the establishment of Mao Zedong's core position; firm revolutionary will and ideals; independence and self-reliance combined with seeking truth from facts, with Marxism applied to China's concrete realities; and support from the broad masses, described as the source of strength for the Party and the army.

From history to current tasks

Xi said the Long March continues. He noted that the first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects had been achieved on schedule, that historic achievements and changes had been made, and that the country is now working toward the second centenary goal of building a great modern socialist country and advancing national rejuvenation through Chinese-style modernization.

He set out five requirements for the new journey: uphold the Party's ideals, convictions and purpose and rely on the people; steadfastly promote high-quality development, advance the Five-Spirit Integrated Overall Layout and the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy, achieve qualitative improvement and reasonable quantitative growth of the economy, and promote common prosperity; carry out great struggles with new historical characteristics, better coordinate development and security, and overcome difficulties and risks; accelerate building the people's armed forces into a world-class military and meet the centenary goal of military development; and uphold Party leadership, strengthen Party building, and continue full and rigorous Party self-governance.

Zhao Leji, presiding, described the speech as political, ideological and guiding, and referred to the "five musts." He called for unity around the Party Central Committee, study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought, and deeper understanding of the significance of the "two establishments," along with the "four consciousnesses," "four confidences" and "two upholds."

How to Read This as a Foreign Founder

1. High-quality development is the economic headline

The speech places high-quality development and meeting people's growing needs for a better life among the core requirements. For founders, that is the clearest economic signal in the text: official priority is on quality of growth, not simply speed. When preparing registration documents, business plans or expansion cases for local authorities, framing your project around quality, technology content and long-term contribution fits the stated direction better than volume-based claims.

2. Development and security are treated together

The report explicitly links coordinating development and security. Foreign founders should expect that compliance, data handling, and risk management are discussed in the same breath as growth. Build these into your China entity's operating model from the start rather than as an afterthought.

3. Common prosperity signals distribution and inclusion

Promoting common prosperity for all people is named as a goal. The source gives no specific measures, so treat it as directional. Practical implication: labor practices, employee treatment and local community contribution may attract more attention in official engagement.

4. Self-reliance and applying theory to local reality

The emphasis on independence and on adapting general principles to China's concrete conditions is a reminder that imported playbooks rarely transfer unchanged. Localize governance, contracts and hiring practices to Chinese law and market practice, and rely on qualified local counsel.

5. Continuity, not a policy shift

The text reaffirms existing frameworks — the Five-Spirit Integrated Overall Layout, the Four-Pronged Comprehensive Strategy, the second centenary goal, and Party leadership. Nothing in the report announces new market-entry rules, tax measures or incentives for foreign investment. Founders should not read operational changes into it.

Practical Takeaways for Registration and Operations

• Keep messaging aligned: describe your China entity's purpose in terms of quality, innovation and long-term contribution, consistent with the high-quality development emphasis.
• Treat compliance as core infrastructure: the pairing of development and security supports early investment in licensing, data and risk controls.
• Localize deliberately: the stress on applying principles to China's realities argues for local legal, tax and HR advice rather than templates from other markets.
• Engage local government seriously: the report notes participation by central departments, Beijing leaders and business federation representatives; local authorities remain the main interface for registration and operations.
• Watch official language: terms such as high-quality development and common prosperity will recur in policy documents; understanding them helps you anticipate how regulators frame expectations.

What the Source Does Not Say

To avoid overreach: the report contains no new foreign investment rules, no tax changes, no sector-specific measures, no statistics on foreign enterprises, and no commitments aimed at foreign founders. It is a commemorative political report. Its value to founders is contextual — a readable statement of the priorities and vocabulary that will surround policy communication in the coming period.

Founders should combine this context with the actual legal texts governing company registration, and confirm every step with licensed professionals in China.

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