Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China
Encyclopedia
The Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China ( or ) is a ministry under the State Council
. It is headed by the Minister of National Defense. The MND was set up according to a decision adopted by the 1st Session of the 1st National People's Congress in 1954. In contrast to practice in other nations, the MND does not exercise command authority over the PLA, which is instead subordinate to the CMC. Instead, the MND itself only serves as liaison body representing the CMC and PLA when dealing with foreign militaries in military exchange and cooperation.
Its official responsibilities had been to exercise unified administration over the development of the armed forces of the country such as recruitment
, organization
, equipment, training, scientific military research
of the People's Liberation Army
(PLA) and the ranking and remuneration of the officers and servicemen. However, in reality these responsibilities are carried out by the four General Headquarters of the PLA, which are under the control of the Central Military Commission (CMC).
There are a number of departments under the Ministry of National Defence:
The Ministry of National Defence General Office is in fact the same body as the General Staff Department General Office. Other offices are also staffed by personnel from the General Staff Department.
and is a member of the CMC, the State Councilor
, and a member of the Communist Party's Central Committee
, enabling him to have some influence in the PLA, the Government, and the Party.
State Council of the People's Republic of China
The State Council of the People's Republic of China , which is largely synonymous with the Central People's Government after 1954, is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the Premier and includes the heads of each governmental department and agency...
. It is headed by the Minister of National Defense. The MND was set up according to a decision adopted by the 1st Session of the 1st National People's Congress in 1954. In contrast to practice in other nations, the MND does not exercise command authority over the PLA, which is instead subordinate to the CMC. Instead, the MND itself only serves as liaison body representing the CMC and PLA when dealing with foreign militaries in military exchange and cooperation.
Its official responsibilities had been to exercise unified administration over the development of the armed forces of the country such as recruitment
Military recruitment
Military recruitment is the act of requesting people, usually male adults, to join a military voluntarily. Involuntary military recruitment is known as conscription. Many countries that have abolished conscription use military recruiters to persuade people to join, often at an early age. To...
, organization
Military organization
Military organization is the structuring of the armed forces of a state so as to offer military capability required by the national defence policy. In some countries paramilitary forces are included in a nation's armed forces...
, equipment, training, scientific military research
Military funding of science
The military funding of science has had a powerful transformative effect on the practice and products of scientific research since the early 20th century...
of 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...
(PLA) and the ranking and remuneration of the officers and servicemen. However, in reality these responsibilities are carried out by the four General Headquarters of the PLA, which are under the control of the Central Military Commission (CMC).
Structure
- General Office
- Foreign Affairs Office
- Peacekeeping Office
- Conscription Office
The Ministry of National Defence General Office is in fact the same body as the General Staff Department General Office. Other offices are also staffed by personnel from the General Staff Department.
Minister
The Minister of National Defense is always an active military officerOfficer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
and is a member of the CMC, the State Councilor
State Council of the People's Republic of China
The State Council of the People's Republic of China , which is largely synonymous with the Central People's Government after 1954, is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the Premier and includes the heads of each governmental department and agency...
, and a member of the Communist Party's Central Committee
Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China is the highest authority within the Communist Party of China. Its approximately 350 members and alternates are selected once every five years by the National Party Congress....
, enabling him to have some influence in the PLA, the Government, and the Party.
List of Ministers of National Defense
- MarshalMarshalMarshal , is a word used in several official titles of various branches of society. The word is an ancient loan word from Old French, cf...
Peng DehuaiPeng DehuaiPeng Dehuai was a prominent military leader of the Communist Party of China, and China's Defence Minister from 1954 to 1959. Peng was an important commander during the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese civil war and was also the commander-in-chief of People's Volunteer Army in the Korean War...
(1954-1959) - Marshal Lin BiaoLin BiaoLin Biao was a major Chinese Communist military leader who was pivotal in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China...
(1959-1971) - Marshal Ye JianyingYe JianyingYe Jianying was a Chinese communist general and the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress from 1978 to 1983.-Biography:...
(1975–1978) - Marshal Xu XiangqianXu XiangqianXu Xiangqian was a Chinese communist military leader.-Biography:Xu was born in Wutai county, Shanxi province, China. He was admitted to the Whampoa Academy in 1924 and held various officer ranks in the National Revolutionary Army between 1925 and 1927...
(1978–1981) - Geng BiaoGeng BiaoGeng Biao was a senior leader in Communist Party of China, and a leader in politics, foreign relation and military in China.Geng was born in Liling, Hunan Province of China, and was a child worker in a Lead-Zinc mine in Shuikoushan, south of Hengyang City in 1922. He joined Communist Youth League...
(1981–1982) - GeneralGeneralA 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....
Zhang AipingZhang AipingZhang Aiping was a Chinese communist military leader.-Biography:...
(1982–1988) - General Qin JiweiQin JiweiQin Jiwei was a general of the People's Republic of China, Minister of National Defense and a member of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo.Qin Jiwei was born to a poor peasant family in Huang'an , Hubei Province of China in November 1914....
(1988–1993) - General Chi HaotianChi HaotianGeneral Chi Haotian is a general of the People's Republic of China.-Biography:Chi was born July, 1929 in Zhaoyuan, Shandong Province, China. In October, 1946 he joined the CPC...
(1993–2003) - General Cao GangchuanCao GangchuanCao Gangchuan was vice chairman of Central Military Commission and former Minister of National Defense of the People's Republic of China. He was also state councilor and director of the PLA General Armament Department.-Biography:...
(2003–2008 ) - General Liang GuanglieLiang GuanglieLiang Guanglie is the current Minister for National Defense in the People's Republic of China and serves as a general in the People's Liberation Army of China.-Biography:...
(2008- )
External links
- Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China (Chinese)
- Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China (English)
- 中国军网
- China Military Online sponsored by PLA DailyPLA DailyPLA Daily is China-based media outlet for the People's Liberation Army of the People's Republic of China.It covers news stories relating to the PLA and other military affairs...
of the Chinese People's Liberation Army