Minister of National Defense (China)

State Council position in China

Minister of National Defense of
the People's Republic of China

中华人民共和国国防部部长

National Emblem of the People's Republic of China

Flag of the People's Republic of China

Incumbent
Dong Jun

since 29 December 2023

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; 70 years ago (1954-09-28)
First holder| Peng Dehuai
Website| eng.mod.gov.cn/xb/Ministry/index.html
People's Liberation Army

Executive departments

* Central Military Commission
* Ministry of National Defense

Staff

* Chairman of the CMC
* Joint Staff Department of the CMC
* Political Work Department of the CMC
* Commission for Discipline Inspection of the CMC

Services

* Ground Force
* Navy
* Air Force
* Rocket Force

Arms

* Aerospace Force
* Cyberspace Force
* Information Support Force
* Joint Logistics Support Force

Domestic troops

* People's Armed Police
* China Coast Guard
* Militia
* Maritime Militia

Special operations forces

* PLA Special Operations Forces
* Army Special Operations Academy
* Jiaolong Commandos
* People's Armed Police Special Police College
* Snow Leopard Commando Unit
* Mountain Eagle Commando Unit

Military districts

* Eastern Theater Command
* Southern Theater Command
* Western Theater Command
* Northern Theater Command
* Central Theater Command

History of the Chinese military

* Military history of China

Military ranks of China

* Ranks of the PLA Ground Force
* Ranks of the PLA Navy
* Ranks of the PLA Air Force

* v
* t
* e

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 (CCP) 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).

Unlike in other countries, the minister does not have command authority over the armed forces, with the post generally used for diplomatic purposes. Nevertheless, until the appointment of the current incumbent, Admiral Dong Jun, the post was always held by a member of the CMC. Dong has been serving in the position since December 2023.

## History

[edit]

Historically, both the position and the ministry carried greater power.[1] 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.[1]

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 CMC, and was usually a member of the CCP Politburo. In addition, all ministers of National Defense would also be appointed as the state councillor, a position in the State Council newly established in 1982 consisting of high-ranking officeholders. And since all defense ministers are members of the CMC, in official state rhetoric, the ministers of National Defense is to be referred to as the "State Councillor and Minister of National Defense".[a] After 2008, holders of the position stopped serving concurrently as a CMC vice chair, further weakening the position.[1]

Among all its officeholders, Geng Biao was the only defence minister with a civil background, having no military rank of the PLA, neither was he a member thereof. Nonetheless, Geng did serve in the Red Army long before PLA’s foundation. With the exception of the aforementioned officeholder, all defence ministers in prior to Wei Fenghe came from the PLA Ground Force. In addition, current officeholder is yet to be appointed as a state councillor, making it the only exception to the aforementioned co-serving norm.[5]

### Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu Scandals, 2023–2024

[edit]

Notably, under the tenure of the President and CMC Chairman Xi Jinping, a series of major military scandals occurred from 2023 to June 2024, which eventually saw two of his former defence ministers, Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu, expelled from the CCP, with their military titles revoked.[6] Prior to this, Li was removed from the office only a couple of months after his appointment in March 2023, causing the position to be briefly vacant from October.[7] This was until Admiral Dong Jun was appointed into the office in December of the same year, making Dong the first PLA Navy officer to become the defence minister. Besides, the PLA Rocket Force, in which Wei was a member, also saw a purge that year, with corruption investigating taking place.[8]

## Process of appointment

[edit]

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.[9]

## Functions

[edit]

The military is under the governance of the CMC, putting the Ministry of National Defense out of the chain of command,[10] the minister is significantly less powerful than his counterparts from other countries, and has no direct command function over the military.[11] The post is generally seen as a diplomatic and ceremonial role, with the minister handling military-to-military ties with other countries.[12] However, until the appointment of the current incumbent, Admiral Dong Jun, the office has always been held by a member of the CMC.[13] Though the minister has historically been assisted by vice ministers, the ministry currently has no vice ministers.[1]

## List of officeholders

[edit]

No. | Portrait  | Minister | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch

|
|
|
|
|
|

| Dehuai, PengMarshal
Peng Dehuai
彭德怀
(1898–1974)| 28 September 1954| 17 September 1959| 4 years, 201 days|  PLA Ground Force

| Biao, LinMarshal
Lin Biao

(1907–1971)| 17 September 1959| 13 September 1971| 12 years, 149 days|  PLA Ground Force
Vacant
13 September 1971 – 17 January 1975

| Jianying, YeMarshal
Ye Jianying
叶剑英
(1897–1986)| 17 January 1975| 26 February 1978| 3 years, 40 days|  PLA Ground Force

| Xiangqian, XuMarshal
Xu Xiangqian
徐向前
(1901–1990)| 26 February 1978| 6 March 1981| 2 years, 345 days|  PLA Ground Force

| Biao, GengGeng Biao

(1909–2000)| 6 March 1981| 19 November 1982| 1 year, 105 days| None[b]

| Aiping, ZhangGeneral
Zhang Aiping
张爱萍
(1910–2003)| 19 November 1982| 12 April 1988| 5 years, 145 days|  PLA Ground Force

| Jiwei, QinGeneral
Qin Jiwei
秦基伟
(1914–1997)| 12 April 1988| 29 March 1993| 4 years, 351 days|  PLA Ground Force

| Haotian, ChiGeneral
Chi Haotian
迟浩田
(born 1929)| 29 March 1993| 17 March 2003| 9 years, 353 days|  PLA Ground Force

| Gangchuan, CaoGeneral
Cao Gangchuan
曹刚川
(born 1935)| 17 March 2003| 17 March 2008| 5 years, 0 days|  PLA Ground Force
10|

| Guanglie, LiangGeneral
Liang Guanglie
梁光烈
(1940–2024)| 17 March 2008| 16 March 2013| 5 years, 0 days|  PLA Ground Force
11|

| Wanquan, ChangGeneral
Chang Wanquan
常万全
(born 1949)| 16 March 2013| 19 March 2018| 5 years, 3 days|  PLA Ground Force
12|

| Fenghe, Wei ~~General~~ [c]
Wei Fenghe
魏凤和
(born 1954)| 19 March 2018| 12 March 2023| 4 years, 358 days|  PLA Rocket Force
13|

| Shangfu, Li ~~General~~ [c]
Li Shangfu
李尚福
(born 1958)| 12 March 2023| 24 October 2023| 226 days|  PLA Strategic Support Force
Vacant
24 October – 29 December 2023
14|

| Jun, DongAdmiral
Dong Jun

(born 1961)| 29 December 2023| Incumbent| 1 year, 65 days|  PLA Navy

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ (Chinese: 国务委员兼国防部长). Sometimes with their respective position in the CMC added prior to it, in the form of "Vice Chairman (or Member) of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China, State Councillor and Minister of National Defense".[2][3][4]
2. ^ Formerly Chinese Red Army
3. ^ a b revoked in June 2024[14]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Zheng, William (25 October 2023). "Why the role of Chinese defence minister isn't exactly what it sounds like". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
2. ^ "People's Republic of China Defense Minister visits Singapore". www.mindef.gov.sg. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
3. ^ Tsou, Benjamin K.; Lai, Tom B. Y.; Chow, Ka-po (2005). "Comparing Entropies within the Chinese Language". Natural Language Processing – IJCNLP 2004. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 3248\. pp. 473–474\. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-30211-7_49. ISBN 978-3-540-24475-2 - via Springer.473-474&rft.date=2005&rft_id=info:doi/10.1007/978-3-540-30211-7_49&rft.isbn=978-3-540-24475-2&rft.aulast=Tsou&rft.aufirst=Benjamin+K.&rft.au=Lai,+Tom+B.+Y.&rft.au=Chow,+Ka-po&rft_id=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-540-30211-7_49&rfr_id=info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:Minister+of+National+Defense+(China)" class="Z3988">
4. ^ Jiang Chenglong (2023-08-17). "Minister: China committed to safeguarding world peace". China Daily. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
5. ^ "中华人民共和国国务院". gov.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-06-30.
6. ^ "China's Communist Party expels former defence ministers Li Shangfu, Wei Fenghe for corruption". Channel NewsAsia. 2024-06-27. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
7. ^ "China officially expels Li Shangfu as defense minister". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
8. ^ "The Shakeup in China's Rocket Force Continues". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
9. ^ "Constitution of the People's Republic of China". National People's Congress. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
10. ^ Morris, Lyle J. (27 October 2022). "What China's New Central Military Commission Tells Us About Xi's Military Strategy". Asia Society. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
11. ^ Torode, Greg; Tian, Yew Lun (2023-09-18). "China's military hierarchy under spotlight after defence minister disappears". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
12. ^ "The mystery surrounding China's missing defence minister". The Economist. 15 September 2023. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
13. ^ Liu, Zhen (18 October 2022). "What is China's Central Military Commission and why is it so powerful?". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
14. ^ "China's Communist Party expels former defence ministers Li Shangfu, Wei Fenghe for corruption". Channel NewsAsia. 2024-06-27. Retrieved 2024-06-27.

* v
* t
* e

Ministers of national defense of the People's Republic of China

1. Marshal Peng Dehuai
2. Marshal Lin Biao
3. Marshal Ye Jianying
4. Marshal Xu Xiangqian
5. Geng Biao
6. General Zhang Aiping
7. General Qin Jiwei
8. General Chi Haotian
9. General Cao Gangchuan
10. General Liang Guanglie
11. General Chang Wanquan
12. ~~General~~ Wei Fenghe
13. ~~General~~ Li Shangfu
14. Admiral Dong Jun

* v
* t
* e

People's Liberation Army

General|

* History
* Modernization
* Budget
* Equipment
* Decorations
* Generals
* Weapons of mass destruction
* Information operations and information warfare

Branches|

| Ground|

* Structure
* Equipment

* * *

* Infantry [zh]
* Armored forces [zh]
* Artillery [zh]
* Air defense [zh]
* Aviation
* aircraft
* Engineers [zh]
* Chemical defense [zh]
* Special operations units

|

Navy|

* Organization
* Weaponry
* History

* * *

* Branches: Surface
* ships
* aircraft carriers
* Submarine
* Coastal Defense
* Naval Air
* aircraft
* Marine Corps
* special operations units

* * *

* Fleets: North Sea
* East Sea
* South Sea

Air|

* Aviation
* aircraft
* airbases
* Air Defense
* Airborne Corps
* special operations units

Rocket|

* Missile operation units
* Rocket Force corps of engineers [zh]
* Special operations units

Arms|

| Aerospace|

* Astronaut Corps
* astronauts
* Deep Space Network

|

Cyberspace|

* Cyberspace Force

Information Support|

* Information Support Force

Joint Logistics Support|

* Wuhan Joint Logistics Support Base
* Theater's Joint Logistics Support Centers: Wuxi; Guilin; Xining; Shenyang; Zhengzhou

Structure|

| Central Military
Commission|

* Chairman
* Vice-Chairmen
* General Office
* Joint Staff
* Intelligence Bureau
* Guard Bureau
* Guard Unit
* Political Work
* Logistic Support
* Equipment Development
* Manned Space Agency
* Training and Administration
* National Defense Mobilization
* Discipline Inspection
* Strategic Planning
* Reform and Organizational Structure
* International Military Cooperation
* Audit Office
* Offices Administration

|

Theater
Commands|

* Eastern
* Southern
* Hong Kong
* Macau
* Western
* Tibet
* Northern
* Central

Military regions
(defunct)|

* Shenyang
* Beijing
* Lanzhou
* Jinan
* Nanjing
* Guangzhou
* Chengdu

Ranks|

* Ground Force
* Navy
* Air Force

Uniform|

* Xingkong (camouflage)
* Type 07
* Type 99 (camouflage)
* Type 97 Service Dress

Institutions|

* Academy of Military Science
* National Defence University
* National University of Defense Technology
* Army Command College
* PLA Air Force Aviation University

* Academic institutions of the armed forces of China

Publications|

* PLA Daily
* August First Film Studio
* CCTV-7
* The Science of Military Strategy
* Defense White Paper

Paramilitary|

* People's Liberation Army Reserve Force
* People's Armed Police
* China Coast Guard
* Special police units
* Snow Leopard Commando Unit
* Mountain Eagle Commando Unit
* Militia
* Maritime Militia
* Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps

Contractors|

* China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation
* China National Electronics Import & Export Corporation
* Norinco
* China Precision Machinery Import-Export Corporation
* China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation
* Poly Technologies
* Seven Sons of National Defence

* Armed conflicts
* Korean War
* Authorized defense products dealer

Portals:

* China
* Politics

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