In December 1929, then Communist revolutionary Mao Zedong led a pivotal meeting in Gutian, Fujian province.
The next two decades witnessed some of the defining moments leading up to the Communist victory of 1949, including the Long March, the consolidation of Mao’s leadership and the renaming of the armed forces as the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
In 1938, as the party faced a turning point following the departure of co-founder and Mao’s revolutionary rival Zhang Guotao, Mao wrote: “Our principle is that the party commands the gun, and the gun must never be allowed to command the party.”

Nearly a century on, those principles still serve as the political bedrock of the party’s control over the military.

Don't Miss:
-
What Negeri Sembilan loss means for Malaysian PM Anwar’s political strategy
-
Iran’s foreign minister warns of any ‘adventurous action’ by US
-
Sopranos actor Vincent Pastore, known for playing mobsters and tough guys, dies at 80
-
China’s next export is the world’s factory itself
-
Tourist plane crashes in Peru, killing 13 people on sightseeing flight

Europe sanctioned crypto exchange HTX. Experts say the firm is deploying tactics that could blunt the impact.
China Leapfrogs into Global Biotech
Tension in One of Asia’s Flashpoints