New military rules stress Xi thought

China has issued a set of revised regulations on the fundamental rules governing the People’s Liberation Army that stress Xi Jinping thought on strengthening the armed forces.

The regulations included rules on military discipline, training management, soldiers’ weight standards, use of mobile phones and the Internet, as well as the use of gun-firing salutes to pay respect to martyrs.

President Xi Jinping, who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission, signed orders to publish three regulations on the military’s interior order, code of conduct and military formation.

The three revised regulations, which underlined the absolute leadership of the Communist Party of China over the people’s armed forces, will take effect from May 1.

The regulation on interior order has been revised to enhance the political loyalty of the armed forces, strengthen them through reform and technology, and run them in accordance with law. It also underlined a greater focus on combat.

It further regulated names of military units and the duties of soldiers.

The regulation included revised rules on soldiers’ using mobile phones, the Internet, new media and online shopping.

It also stipulated the use of military vehicles and flags, protection of service personnel’s vacation rights and efforts to ensure their physical and mental health.

The revised regulation on the military code of conduct stipulated relevant rules regarding the military’s political loyalty, organization, combat operations, training, work, confidential information, integrity, financial affairs, interaction with the people and daily life. It also provided detailed rules on related awards and punishments.

The new regulation on military formation added 14 military ceremonial events to be held in different circumstances such as oath-taking rallies, triumphant returns and paying homage to martyrs.

The first document on the code of conduct governing the CPC-led armed forces was issued in 1930. The first interior order regulation was issued in 1936, and the first formation regulation in 1951.

In 1951, the three regulations were recognized as a set to serve as the fundamental rules for the PLA.

From the 1950s to the 1990s, these regulations have been revised eight times. In the new century, the regulations of interior order and code of conduct were partly amended in 2002. In 2010, the three regulations underwent a comprehensive revision.