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PLA Daily: Be Firm in the Battlefield of Ideological Struggle

On September 18, 2013, China’s military newspaper, PLA Daily, published an article stressing that the Military should always remember the principle that the (Communist) Party directs the gun (The Party always rules the military) and the military should resist the influence of the enemy’s ideology. September 18 is an important day as a historical event in Chinese history books. On September 18, 1931, Japan staged the Mukden Incident, which it used as an excuse to invade northeast China. Below is an excerpt from the article:

“The Ideological field has always been the focus of hostile forces attempts to Westernize and divide China. To subvert a government, the hostile forces often start with the ideological field to open up a hole for a breakthrough. Our military should not only defeat the enemy in the battlefield, but also defeat the enemy in the ideological field.
“Some may think that China is now in close cooperation with the West, as the struggle is not so intense and complicated. One may not know that under the cover of economic cooperation, it is a contest for the future. … We should be particularly vigilant as the hostile forces are directly targeting our army, attempting to replicate the course of the Egyptian and Tunisia coups so as to separate our army from the Communist Party’s banner. We must make the first move and take the initiative to respond rationally to this ‘war.’ 

“The reason that the Soviet army changed in core belief and color, stood still at a critical juncture, and even defected (from the Party), is the most fundamental issue; it is that they lost their ideals and belief and forgot the "Party commands the gun" principle. [As long as] our army maintains the same soul and inherits the red gene, we will be able to stay firm and stand high in the ideological struggle.” 

Source: PLA Daily, September 18, 2013 
http://www.chinamil.com.cn/jfjbmap/content/2013-09/18/content_52015.htm 
http://cpc.people.com.cn/pinglun/n/2013/0918/c78779-22958610.html