Minister of National Defense of the People's Republic of China | |
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中华人民共和国国防部部长 | |
Ministry of National Defense | |
Status | Provincial-Ministerial level official |
Member of | State Council |
Reports to | Central Military Commission |
Seat | Beijing |
Nominator | Premier (chosen within the Chinese Communist Party) |
Appointer | President with the confirmation of the National People's Congress or its Standing Committee |
Precursor | Minister of National Defense of the Republic of China |
Formation | 28 September 1954 |
First holder | Peng Dehuai |
Website | eng |
The Minister of National Defense of the People's Republic of China is the head of the Ministry of National Defense and one of the top positions in the State Council. The minister usually is also a member of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and a member of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the top governing body of China's armed forces including the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
People's Liberation Army |
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Executive departments |
Staff |
Services |
Arms |
Domestic troops |
Special operations force |
Military districts |
History of the Chinese military |
Military ranks of China |
Unlike in other countries, the minister does not have command authority over the armed forces, with the post generally used for diplomatic purposes. Nevertheless, the post has always been held by a member of the CMC.
Historically, both the position and the ministry carried greater power. [2] In the first decades of the PRC, the ministry included several more departments. all overseen by vice ministers. The minister was held by influential generals, including Peng Dehuai, Lin Biao and Ye Jianying. [2] The ministry was reformed into its current state in the 1982 constitutional revision. Between 1982 and 2008, the minister usually concurrently served as a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, and was usually a member of the Politburo. After 2008, holders of the position stopped serving concurrently as a CMC vice chair, further weakening the position. [2]
Officially, the minister is nominated by the premier of the State Council, who is then approved by the National People's Congress or its Standing Committee and appointed by the president. [3]
The military is under the governance of the CMC, putting the Ministry of National Defense out of the chain of command, [4] the minister is significantly less powerful than his counterparts from other countries, and has no direct command function over the military. [5] The post is generally seen as a diplomatic and ceremonial role, with the minister handling military-to-military ties with other countries. [6] However, the office has always been held by a member of the CMC. [7] Though the minister has historically been assisted by vice ministers, the ministry currently has no vice ministers. [2]
No. | Portrait | Minister | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch |
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1 | Marshal Peng Dehuai 彭德怀 (1898–1974) | 28 September 1954 | 17 September 1959 | 4 years, 201 days | PLA Ground Force | |
2 | Lin Biao 林彪 (1907–1971) | Marshal17 September 1959 | 13 September 1971 | 12 years, 149 days | PLA Ground Force | |
Vacant 13 September 1971–17 January 1975 | ||||||
3 | Ye Jianying 叶剑英 (1897–1986) | Marshal17 January 1975 | 26 February 1978 | 3 years, 40 days | PLA Ground Force | |
4 | Xu Xiangqian 徐向前 (1901–1990) | Marshal26 February 1978 | 6 March 1981 | 2 years, 345 days | PLA Ground Force | |
5 | Geng Biao 耿飚 (1909–2000) | 6 March 1981 | 19 November 1982 | 1 year, 105 days | Formerly PLA Ground Force | |
6 | General Zhang Aiping 张爱萍 (1910–2003) | 19 November 1982 | 12 April 1988 | 5 years, 145 days | PLA Ground Force | |
7 | Qin Jiwei 秦基伟 (1914–1997) | General12 April 1988 | 29 March 1993 | 4 years, 351 days | PLA Ground Force | |
8 | Chi Haotian 迟浩田 (born 1929) | General29 March 1993 | 17 March 2003 | 9 years, 353 days | PLA Ground Force | |
9 | Cao Gangchuan 曹刚川 (born 1935) | General17 March 2003 | 17 March 2008 | 5 years, 0 days | PLA Ground Force | |
10 | Liang Guanglie 梁光烈 (born 1940) | General17 March 2008 | 16 March 2013 | 5 years, 0 days | PLA Ground Force | |
11 | Chang Wanquan 常万全 (born 1949) | General16 March 2013 | 19 March 2018 | 5 years, 3 days | PLA Ground Force | |
12 | Wei Fenghe 魏凤和 (born 1954) | General19 March 2018 | 12 March 2023 | 4 years, 358 days | PLA Rocket Force | |
13 | Li Shangfu 李尚福 (born 1958) | General12 March 2023 | 24 October 2023 | 226 days | PLA Strategic Support Force | |
Vacant 24 October 2023–29 December 2023 | ||||||
14 | Dong Jun 董军 (born 1961) | Admiral29 December 2023 | Incumbent | 154 days | PLA Navy |
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