Published by ChinaMNC · Funing

What the Long March 90th Anniversary Means for Foreign Founders Setting Up in China

A ChinaMNC briefing for foreign founders: the source article is a political commemoration with no new business rules. Here is how to read it, and what actually matters for registering and running a company in China.

Quick takeaway for foreign founders

The source article reports on a commemorative meeting held in Beijing marking the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Red Army's Long March. It summarizes a speech by Xi Jinping and lists attendees. It does not announce any new law, registration rule, tax change, capital requirement or licensing procedure. For foreign founders, the practical impact on company registration in China is therefore nil — nothing in the text changes how you set up or operate an entity.

This briefing explains what the article says, why it carries no procedural weight, and how to keep your China registration plan grounded in the rules that actually govern it.

What the source article actually contains

The meeting took place on October 22 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, President and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered the main speech. Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Ning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi and Vice President Han Zheng attended. Zhao Leji presided.

The speech covered the history of the Long March from October 1934 to October 1936, involving the Red Army's First, Second and Fourth Front Armies and the 25th Army. Xi described the march as crossing more than ten provinces over 25,000 li, breaking through the encirclement and interception of over a million enemy troops, and completing a strategic transfer northward to resist Japanese aggression.

He attributed the march's success to four factors: correct Party leadership, firm revolutionary will, independent and realistic decision-making, and support from the masses. He then set out five "musts" for the new era: upholding the Party's ideals, beliefs and purpose; pursuing high-quality development and common prosperity; managing development and security together; building a world-class military; and strengthening Party leadership and discipline.

The article also mentions the decoration of the auditorium, the singing of the national anthem, and that about 3,000 people attended, including officials from central departments, representatives of democratic parties and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, non-party figures, veterans, military personnel, and residents of the capital.

Why this has no bearing on company registration

Chinese government portals routinely publish political and ceremonial news alongside regulatory material. This item belongs to the former category. It contains no reference to the Company Law, the Foreign Investment Law, market entity registration rules, negative lists, capital contribution timelines, or any administrative procedure.

Foreign founders sometimes assume that senior-level speeches signal imminent policy shifts. That is not a reliable reading here. The text is retrospective and ideological. It does not revise any requirement you would encounter at a market supervision bureau, tax office, or foreign exchange bank.

Treat it as context, not as compliance guidance. Your registration checklist should be built from the specific regulations and local implementing rules that apply to your business scope and city.

Where the speech's themes do touch business operations

Two of the five "musts" mention economic policy language that founders may hear echoed in local government work reports.

High-quality development and common prosperity

The speech calls for advancing the "five-sphere integrated plan" and the "four-pronged comprehensive strategy," promoting qualitative improvement and reasonable quantitative growth in the economy, and advancing common prosperity for all. For a foreign founder, this is background framing. It does not alter registration steps, but it can appear in local investment promotion materials and industry guidance.

Development and security

The speech stresses better coordination of development and security. In practice, this theme is consistent with existing compliance expectations around data, cybersecurity, export controls and foreign investment review. Those obligations arise from specific statutes and rules, not from this speech. If your sector is sensitive, verify requirements directly with the relevant regulator or a qualified adviser.

What founders should focus on instead

Since the source offers no procedural content, here is a practical orientation for building a China registration plan. Each point below reflects general practice rather than anything stated in the article.

• Entity choice: Most foreign investors use a wholly foreign-owned enterprise or a Sino-foreign joint venture. A representative office suits liaison work only and cannot earn revenue.
• Registration steps: Name pre-approval, submission to the market supervision administration, business license issuance, then company seal carving, bank account opening, tax registration and foreign exchange registration.
• Documents: Notarized and legalized incorporation documents of the foreign parent, investor identification, registered address proof, articles of association, and appointment documents for legal representative, directors and supervisors.
• Capital: Registered capital is subscribed, with contribution timelines set in the articles. Foreign currency inflows require the appropriate foreign exchange formalities.
• Licenses: Check whether your activities fall inside the negative list for foreign investment, and whether sector-specific permits apply.
• Tax and compliance: Monthly or quarterly filings, annual reporting, and ongoing obligations on labor, invoicing and data.

Bottom line

The October 22 commemoration is a political event reported by Xinhua and republished on a provincial government portal. It restates historical narrative and long-standing policy themes. It introduces no new obligation, incentive or procedure for foreign-invested companies. Founders can safely note it and move on to the regulatory sources that govern their registration.

Foreign founders who want hands-on support can contact ChinaMNC on WhatsApp or WeChat at +86 153 1898 8535 for help registering and operating a company in China.

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