Opinion Article Calls on China’s PLA to Begin a “Modern Long March”

The evolution of China’s active defence doctrine

As the PLA approaches its centenary, an opinion article says it must execute a modern Long March to ensure that “active defence” remains decisive in a hi-tech era.

A retreat with lasting military significance

The argument places China’s military doctrine in the context of two major retreats from military history. The British Army’s escape from Nazi Germany’s encirclement at Dunkirk is considered by some to be the greatest military retreat in modern history.

Dunkirk is also described as a prime example of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Yet years before Dunkirk, the Chinese Red Army carried out a military retreat known as the Long March, which the source describes as more impressive and consequential.

The comparison is important because the Long March has remained more than a historical episode in China’s military tradition. While the Dunkirk evacuation continues to feature in Hollywood fare and World War II folklore, the Long March is taught at military academies worldwide.

From the Long March to “active defence”

The Long March is presented as a foundational case study in asymmetrical warfare, insurgency and strategic political-military integration. The source describes it as a baptism of fire that had consequences beyond the battlefield.

It says the Long March did more than resurrect Mao Zedong’s political career and mark his ascent to primacy. It also firmly established “active defence” as the core doctrine of the Chinese Communist military.

That doctrine continues to guide China’s strategic planning to this day. With the PLA approaching its centenary, the opinion article presents the proposed modern Long March as necessary to keep the doctrine effective in a hi-tech era.

Source: South China Morning Post