Yang Shangkun

"The Military Commission has decided to convene an emergency enlarged meeting and has asked the principally responsible comrades of all major units to attend. The main aim is to make one an-nouncement: that the present situation in Beijing is still chaotic. Although martial law has been declared, some of the martial law tasks have in fact not been carried out. Some army units enforcing martial law have been blocked, and they have not forced their way through in order to avoid direct confrontation. Through great effort, most units have now entered their predetermined positions.The situation was even more chaotic a few days ago. No vehiclebearing a military plate could pass through. Is this state of affairs still not a disturbance? The situation in the capital is precisely adisturbance. This disturbance has not subsided."

"First of all, I fully support the report and the various demands that Comrade Li Peng has made on behalf of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau. Beijing of late is actually in an anarchistic state. Basically, the work of government organs, classes in schools, transportation, industry, and so forth have all been thrown into a confused state. This confused state is, in reality, a state of anarchy. Comrade Li Peng has just said that with regard to such a historic event as the Sino-Soviet talks, we could not hold the welcoming ceremony at Tiananmen. The location was changed to the airport at the last moment. Several discussions that should have been held at the Great Hall of the People were compelled to take place at Diaoyutai Guest House. In addition, some activities previously scheduled were canceled. Such a state of affairs...."

"The arrival of PLA troops in the vicinity of Beijing is definitely not aimed at dealing with students. They have not come here to deal with the students. Their aim is to restore the normal order of production, of life, of work in Beijing Municipality. At the same time, they aim to protect a number of important departments and major government organs. Therefore, the stationing of the PLA troops in the capital is aimed at maintaining public security. They are, by no means, directed at the students. Everyone will be able to clearly see their activities in the next few days [applause]."

"That is to say that the PLA troops are compelled to enter the capital in order to restore the normal order in Beijing, maintain public security, and prevent important government organizations from being affected or stormed. I would like to explain this point clearly to all those who are present here. The PLA troops' arrival is definitely not aimed at dealing with the students. It is hoped that all trades and professions, people in various circles, and particularly people of the various democratic parties will support the PLA troops for their action to safeguard the capital and maintain public security. I hope that you will give them your full understanding and support. This is the point that I wanted to explain to you comrades here. I have nothing else to say. That is all."

"Strengthening the building of a modernized army is a basic task of our army during the new historical period. It is also a matter of primary importance for safeguarding the security of the motherland and defending the four modernizations. The entire party and people throughout the country are paying a good deal of attention to this matter. Over the past 35 years since the founding of the People's Republic, our army has followed a tortuous course of development."

"To build a Chinese-type modernized and regularized revolutionary army, we should promote the revolutionization, modernization and regularization of the army. These are interrelated and promote each other, and none is indispensable. We should take the modernization of our army as our key task."

"Taking the modernization of our army as the key task is determined by the history and practical conditions of our army. This is an inexorable demand placed on our army by modern warfare. This is also the road our army should follow in order to advance to a higher stage. Generally speaking, the level of revolutionization of our army ranks first in the world. Armies of capitalist countries simply cannot attain such a high level of revolutionization. This is the absolute superiority of our army. The level of modernization and modern scientific knowledge of our army is not high and its weapons and equipment are comparatively backward. These are the weak links of our army. Modern warfare has manifested unprecedentedly new characteristics, and placed higher demands on the modernization of the army. If we fail to enhance the level of modernization of our army, it is difficult to adapt ourselves to modern warfare, and fulfill the sacred tasks of safeguarding the motherland the defending peace."

"We stress the key task of modernization. Does this mean that we are allowed to neglect and weaken the revolutionization and regularization of the army? The answer is no. On the contrary, we should strengthen the revolutionization and regularization of the army; a higher level is attained with regard to the modernization of our army. Stricter demands are set on its revolutionization and regularization."

"The modernization of an army is closely related to the political system, economic strength, military strategy, and scientific and technological level of a state. The orientation and path of its building and the focal point of its development are particularly restricted by the politics, tactics, and military strategy of the state, the combat tasks shouldered by the armed forces in future wars, and the conditions on the battlefields. The conditions in our country and in our army differ from those in other countries; therefore, in modernizing our army, we cannot copy the patterns of other countries, but must adhere to a "Chinese pattern," adapt our- selves to China's national conditions, and have our own special characteristics. We will always lag behind others if we copy other people in modernizing our army."

"If we are divorced from the realities in our country, even though we are armed with new weapons and equipment, these weapons and equipment will be mere show and will not form any real combat strength. In order to build a modern army with special Chinese characteristics, we should proceed from the realities in our country and in our army, put forth clear and definite guidelines and requirements of principle on the orientation of development and the basic content of modernization, and formulate plans for various periods. In so doing, we should rely on the exploration and creativity in the practice of the masses."

"Judging from the existing conditions, a modernized and regular revolutionary army with special Chinese characteristics should be one which conforms to our national conditions, which flexibly integrates advanced military thinking and fine traditions with modern weapons and equipment and competent military personnel, and which possesses the capacity to defend itself in modern warfare; in other words, a developed people's army with the tradition of people's war plus modern military science, weapons, and equipment."

"We should develop the most urgently needed new types of weapons and equipment as soon as possible. The development of modern science and technology has enormously expanded the destructive force of weapons. In future wars against aggression, we should still stress the decisive role of man but under no circumstances should we neglect the important role of weapons. Without advanced weapons and equipment, we shall pay a higher price and prolong the time for winning the war. We should make the best use of our time and strive to change the backwardness of our weapons and equipment. In the new historical period, the central task of our party is to lead the people in carrying out socialist construction. The modernization of our army must be suited to the development of the national economy. We have a large population, a poor foundation, and limited funds. Therefore, we should not incur huge military expenditures as the superpowers do. Nor should we blindly pursue large-scale and rapid modernization of the army regardless of our national economic conditions. In developing weapons and equipment, we should make overall arrangements and scientific planning."

"First of all, we should stress the main points and concentrate our forces on developing the most urgently needed defensive weapons and equipment Second, we should update the equipment in an orderly way and step by step, allowing the coexistence of outmoded and modern equipment and of ordinary and advanced technology."

"In order to stress the main points, we should give up some things of secondary importance. One must lose one thing in order to gain another. If we attend to too many things at the same time, we shall end up by developing nothing. In modernizing our army, we should import some necessary and advanced technological equipment. However, ours is a big but developing country. It will not do to rely on purchasing advanced technological equipment to achieve the modernization of national defense. Nor can we afford it. We may purchase some weapons and equipment but they will not necessarily conform to the specific conditions in our country, such as topography and weather. We should base ourselves on independence and self-reliance and rely on our own strength to develop weapons and equipment. We have developed and produced sophisticated strategic weapons, such as atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, and long-range guided missiles, as well as excellent conventional weapons for self-defense."

"We should continue to tap this potential and at the same time integrate it satisfactorily with mass technological innovation. The masses are the operators of weapons and equipment. It often happens that a small invention can solve a big problem. We stress the main points and self-reliance, but under no circumstances should we comprehend "distinguishing Chinese characteristics and "low standards" and thus lower the objective of our modernization. At present the modernization level of our troops is not very high, but it should be noted that the development of the national economy in the past few years has been gratifying. According to the Marxist theory of economic strength being the material basis of force, it can be expected that with the development of the national economy, encouraging prospects will certainly emerge in the modernization of the army."

"Following the high automation of operational command and weapons control, the command organizations should be highly efficient and be able to make quick responses. If the organizations are overstaffed and unwieldy, they will not easily deploy them, still less to direct operations. In order to increase our combat strength, we should increase the work efficiency of our troops, streamline organizations, and simplify the administrative structure so that they can be highly trained and flexible. We should abolish some units which should be abolished and amalgamate those which should be amalgamated. Naturally, it is also necessary to establish new units which should be established according to the requirements of modern warfare. The most important thing in the scientific organization of the forces is to strengthen the combination of the forces."

"Only by combining the various arms and services in a genuinely flexible way in various aspects, such as structural establishment, training, command, and management, will it be possible for our troops to constitute a powerful com- bat force. We should explore the new scientific system of combined army units, establish a corresponding command system, and formulate a set of rules and regulations for directing and managing the modernized combined army units. In building the army, we should satisfactorily integrate peacetime with war preparedness and the maintenance of the army with the use of military forces. While reducing the standing army, we should step up the building of the militia and reserve service and build up specialized technical soldiers and reserve officers in accordance with the new military service law promulgated some time ago. China has a large population and is rich in manpower resources. Provided that the people are well-trained, it does not make any difference if we have fewer troops in peacetime. As soon as a war breaks out, we can expand them immediately."

"The key to the modernization of our army lies in training able troops. Without them there will be no modernization of our army. We have all along stressed the human factor in war. Bravery, consciousness, and the spirit of sacrifice are a part of the human factor, on which we must continue to lay due stress, but they are not the whole. The whole of the human factor should include vigor in health, spirit, knowledge, and ability. While training modern military forces, we must pay particular attention to this point. To train modern military forces, the most important approach is to make the ranks of cadres more revolutionary, younger in average age, better educated, and more professionally competent."

"For many historical reasons, most of our troop cadres, and particularly high-ranking cadres, are now advanced in years, and they do not have a sufficient knowledge of culture and science or of modern military science. In the past year, we have readjusted leading groups of the army units in line with the principle of promoting outstanding younger cadres and helped PIA men learn science and acquire general knowledge extensively and thoroughly. As a result, the ranks of our army's cadres have made big strides in the four modernizations, yet they still cannot meet the needs of army building."

"Fighting a people's war is a strong point and characteristic of our army. Our socialist system and strategic principle of positive defense decide that any war in which we engage will be a self-defense war against aggression. We must continue to depend on people's war and give play to human subjective activity so as to defeat an enemy with superior equipment with our inferior equipment. However, what we mean by inferior equipment and superior equipment today is by no means the concept of using millet plus rifles to fight against aircraft and guns. Great changes have taken place in "yours" and "ours"; neither should we abandon the idea of people's war and copy indiscriminately the military theory of other countries just because our army is modernized to a certain extent, nor should we keep our past strategy and tactics intact only because we want to engage in people s war. In view of the new characteristics and new requirements of modern war- fare and of the changing situation, we should work hard to explore the law of modern warfare and to study the strategy and tactics of people's war under modern conditions so as to enrich and develop our military thought."

"In building up our army into a modern one, we must absorb and carry on the essence of our army and should on no account throw away our "invaluable assets." In line with the current actual conditions, we should enrich and develop these fine traditions so as to suit the needs of modernizing our army under the new situation and to ensure the smooth development of the modernization."

"An energetic army constantly changes itself. The history of the building of our army is a history of unceasing reform. Since Comrade Deng Xiaoping took charge of the work of the Military Commission, with modernization as the focus of its attention, our army has carried out some reforms with notable success. For example, we have streamlined and reorganized the army, carried out structural reform, attached strategic importance to education and training, restored the military academies and institutions, readjusted army, divisional, and regimental leading bodies, jointly built a socialist spiritual civilization with the people, acquired some scientific and cultural knowledge, trained people to be capable of doing both army and civilian work, revised various rules and regulations, and so on. These reforms have brought about a new situation in all areas of the work of our army. However, the reform of the entire army, we should say, has just begun. In order to build our army into a really modernized and revolutionary regular army with special Chinese characteristics, it is necessary to persistently carry on with the reforms in an even more comprehensive and in-depth manner."

"In the past, some political activities organized under the influence of "leftist" ideas, particularly the 10 years of internal disorder, had con- fused important matters of right and wrong in the area of army building. In addition, as the situation kept changing, there was also the question of adapting the good things to the circumstances. If we are to draw lessons from history, we should renew our understanding of the history and tradition of our army. Having carried out construction and fought for decades, what strong points and weaknesses has our army displayed? Which elements of our tradition are still applicable today? Which elements are outmoded? Which elements can still be useful after being transformed? We must have a very clear idea of all this. Otherwise, we will not know what to change and will not be able to find the starting point. The study of history includes the study of the history of the modernization of our army. In the course of modernization, our army has taken crooked roads, achieved success, and learned historical lessons as well. Today, when we propose the building of a modernized army with special Chinese characteristics, we should pay close attention to summarizing experience and lessons."

"The current situation is a bridge joining history to the future. In addition, it is also the point from which we march forward. In order to carry out reforms, it is necessary to study the current situation. What problems are there in the modernization of our army? What are the major contradictions? Which things should be changed? Which things should be changed first and which later? All these and more are questions that should be thoroughly studied and investigated. If we do not study the current situation, we will not have a clear picture of things and it will be difficult for us to seek truth from facts. For example/China is a country with a vast territory and long borders, its topography is complicated, and the circumstances on the battlefields vary. Thus, troops advancing in different directions are assigned different combat tasks. There are contradictions, in terms of the army's equipment and forms of organization, between diversification and uniformity. It is necessary to properly study how this practical problem can be scientifically solved."

"Military science and technology develop with each passing day and this requires us to be farsighted in modernizing the army. Military affairs are the area of social life in which the latest scientific and technological achievements are most speedily and extensively applied. In addition, many scientific and technological discoveries and innovations have first resulted from the work and needs in the area of military affairs. At present, a new worldwide technological revolution is under way. Although at present it is still difficult to comprehensively, accurately, and scientifically predict its effects on military affairs, we are entirely free to probe some important and relevant questions in an in-depth manner. In formulating long- term plans for building the army, if we thoroughly study the trends, we can avoid being blind, make our goals more scientific and more reasonable, and avoiding taking redundant, crooked roads."

"Thus, in regard to the important reforms in army building, all units should enthusiastically offer suggestions on the basis of the overall situation. It is necessary to boldly and resolutely reform without delay war preparation work, education and training, instruction in the academies and institutions, and logistical and security work provided that it is our duty to do so, that we make sure that it is necessary to do so, and that the conditions are ripe. Malpractices having to do with ideological style and methods of work, such as bureaucracy and the practices of seeking personal gain by capitalizing on one's powers, of paying lip service, and of holding back unpleasant information, should be reformed immediately and the sooner the better. Reforms in this regard do not affect the overall situation. There is no need to spend much money or to recruit more people. The only thing that counts is our attitude. In the course of reform, it is necessary to emphasize the need to listen to experts and specialists, to give full play to the role of research organs, to perfect the things created by the masses, and to translate the research results achieved by the special organs into actual mass action."

"Break with the idea of sticking to old ways. As reform is a process of destroying the old and establishing the new, it is bound to encounter obstructions from outdated conventional ideas and force of habit. It usually happens in the history of war that a triumphant army always fondly regards its past successful experience to the hindrance of its progress, thus following the beaten track in the face of development in warfare."

"Break through the idea of settling things once and for all. The reform of our army cannot be accomplished in one or two attempts. This is because we need a process for the understanding of objective things and it is impossible to achieve the unity of subjective ideas with objective reality in a single stroke. Moreover, objective things are constantly developing and changing, therefore, after acquiring understanding of the past process of objective things, we should continue to acquire understanding of the new developments of objective things. Due to the constant development of military science and technology and the emergence of new characteristics in modern wars, we should deepen our understanding and carry out reform accordingly. Otherwise, we may lag behind. It is thus obvious that we should regard reform as a protracted task."

"Now we are carrying out the new struggle of building a modernized army with special Chinese characteristics. Many of our veteran comrades have made their contributions to the life-and-death struggles."

"Despite his growing importance as Deng's right-hand man, however, he failed to make much of an impression on ordinary Chinese. Many, particularly intellectuals mocked his foppish dress, his jovial, often coarse manner, and reputation as an ageing playboy. For many he was a buffoon, a powerful one but hardly a man of weight. Then, in June 1989, the joking stopped. Overnight, Yang Shangkun became perhaps the most hated man in China. He had performed the ultimate act of loyalty - when Deng said open fire he obeyed."

"The life of Yang Shangkun "was glorious and militant" and he made "historic and indelible contributions to the Chinese people's cause of liberation and the cause of socialist revolution and construction."