Military Strategic Guideline for a New Era
Military strategy guides the development and employment of military forces. It is constantly updated and improved in response to the changing realities. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the people's armed forces have pursued a military strategy featuring active defense, which has undergone eight major adjustments, roughly once every eight to ten years.
Xi Jinping personally presided over the formulation of the military strategic guideline for a new era, which was unveiled in January 2019. The updated military strategy reiterates the principle of self-defense, that is, the use of military force only for defensive purposes. "We will not attack unless we are attacked; if we are attacked, we will certainly counterattack." China's military strategy aims to deter wars in addition to ensuring its ability to win wars. It focuses on a defensive posture complemented by effective offensive capabilities.
新时代军事战略方针
军事战略方针是军事力量建设与运用的总方略，并随着时代发展充实完善。新中国成立以来，人民军队继承积极防御战略思想和战略传统，先后对军事战略方针进行了8次重大调整，平均8—10年调整一次。
习近平亲自主持制定的新时代军事战略方针，于2019年1月颁布出台。新时代军事战略方针，坚持防御、自卫、后发制人原则，实行积极防御，坚持“人不犯我、我不犯人，人若犯我、我必犯人”，强调遏制战争与打赢战争相统一，强调战略上防御与战役战斗上进攻相统一。