Chen Bingde is a general

General

A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....

 in the People's Liberation Army

People's Liberation Army

The People's Liberation Army is the unified military organization of all land, sea, strategic missile and air forces of the People's Republic of China. The PLA was established on August 1, 1927 — celebrated annually as "PLA Day" — as the military arm of the Communist Party of China...

. He was the Director-General of the General Armaments Department

General Armaments Department

General Armaments Department was founded in April 1998. It is a chief organ under Central Military Commission of CPC, responsible for People's Liberation Army's armaments.-Structure :...

 until September 2007. In this position he acted as the head of the space program of China. Currently he is the commanding general of People's Liberation Army General Staff Department

People's Liberation Army General Staff Department

The People's Liberation Army General Staff Department is the command organ and the headquarters for the Chinese People's Liberation Army . It is under the absolute leadership of the Central Military Commission...

 in Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

, which is equivalent to chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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.

Biography

He joined the Communist Party of China

Communist Party of China

The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...

 (CPC) in 1962 and has been a member of the CPC Central Military Commission

Central Military Commission

A Central Military Commission or National Defense Commission is an organisation typical of Communist one-party states, responsible for supervising the nation's armed forces....

 since 2004. He was former chief of the Nanjing Military Region, a crucial region in Beijing's military strategy against Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

.

In 2004, he was promoted to the director of the General Armament Department as well as the secretary of CPC's committee. In 2007 he was promoted to the direct of General Staff Department. He was made a major general in September 1988, a lieutenant general in July 1995, and a general in 2002. He is a member of CPC's 15th, 16th and 17th central committee.