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).
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 since 29 December 2023Dong Jun | |
Ministry of National Defense | |
Status | Provincial and ministerial-level official |
Member of | Plenary Meeting of the 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 |
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
Historically, both the position and the ministry carried greater power. 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.
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". After 2008, holders of the position stopped serving concurrently as a CMC vice chair, further weakening the position.
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.
Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu Scandals, 2023–2024
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. 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. 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.
Process of appointment
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.
Functions
The military is under the governance of the CMC, putting the Ministry of National Defense out of the chain of command, the minister is significantly less powerful than his counterparts from other countries, and has no direct command function over the military. The post is generally seen as a diplomatic and ceremonial role, with the minister handling military-to-military ties with other countries. However, until the appointment of the current incumbent, Admiral Dong Jun, the office has always been held by a member of the CMC. Though the minister has historically been assisted by vice ministers, the ministry currently has no vice ministers.
List of officeholders
No. | Portrait | Minister | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Peng Dehuai 彭德怀 (1898–1974) | Marshal28 September 1954 | 17 September 1959 | 4 years, 201 days | ![]() | |
2 | Lin Biao 林彪 (1907–1971) | Marshal17 September 1959 | 13 September 1971 | 12 years, 149 days | ![]() | |
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 | ![]() | |
4 | Xu Xiangqian 徐向前 (1901–1990) | Marshal26 February 1978 | 6 March 1981 | 2 years, 345 days | ![]() | |
5 | 耿飚 (1909–2000) | Geng Biao6 March 1981 | 19 November 1982 | 1 year, 105 days | None | |
6 | Zhang Aiping 张爱萍 (1910–2003) | General19 November 1982 | 12 April 1988 | 5 years, 145 days | ![]() | |
7 | Qin Jiwei 秦基伟 (1914–1997) | General12 April 1988 | 29 March 1993 | 4 years, 351 days | ![]() | |
8 | Chi Haotian 迟浩田 (born 1929) | General29 March 1993 | 17 March 2003 | 9 years, 353 days | ![]() | |
9 | Cao Gangchuan 曹刚川 (born 1935) | General17 March 2003 | 17 March 2008 | 5 years, 0 days | ![]() | |
10 | Liang Guanglie 梁光烈 (1940–2024) | General17 March 2008 | 16 March 2013 | 5 years, 0 days | ![]() | |
11 | Chang Wanquan 常万全 (born 1949) | General16 March 2013 | 19 March 2018 | 5 years, 3 days | ![]() | |
12 | Wei Fenghe 魏凤和 (born 1954) | 19 March 2018 | 12 March 2023 | 4 years, 358 days | ![]() | |
13 | Li Shangfu 李尚福 (born 1958) | 12 March 2023 | 24 October 2023 | 226 days | ![]() | |
Vacant 24 October – 29 December 2023 | ||||||
14 | Dong Jun 董军 (born 1961) | Admiral29 December 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year, 122 days | ![]() |
Notes
- (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".
- Formerly
Chinese Red Army
- revoked in June 2024
References
- 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.
- "People's Republic of China Defense Minister visits Singapore". www.mindef.gov.sg. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
- 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.
- Jiang Chenglong (2023-08-17). "Minister: China committed to safeguarding world peace". China Daily. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
- "中华人民共和国国务院". gov.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-06-30.
- "China's Communist Party expels former defence ministers Li Shangfu, Wei Fenghe for corruption". Channel NewsAsia. 2024-06-27. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
- "China officially expels Li Shangfu as defense minister". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
- "The Shakeup in China's Rocket Force Continues". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2024-06-30.
- "Constitution of the People's Republic of China". National People's Congress. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
- 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.
- Torode, Greg; Tian, Yew Lun (2023-09-18). "China's military hierarchy under spotlight after defence minister disappears". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
- "The mystery surrounding China's missing defence minister". The Economist. 15 September 2023. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
- 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.
- "China's Communist Party expels former defence ministers Li Shangfu, Wei Fenghe for corruption". Channel NewsAsia. 2024-06-27. Retrieved 2024-06-27.
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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 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 ChinaFlag of the People s Republic of ChinaIncumbent Dong Junsince 29 December 2023Ministry of National DefenseStatusProvincial and ministerial level officialMember ofPlenary Meeting of the State CouncilReports toCentral Military CommissionSeatBeijingNominatorPremier chosen within the Chinese Communist Party AppointerPresident with the confirmation of the National People s Congress or its Standing CommitteePrecursorMinister of National Defense of the Republic of ChinaFormation28 September 1954 70 years ago 1954 09 28 First holderPeng DehuaiWebsiteeng wbr mod wbr gov wbr cn wbr xb wbr Ministry wbr index wbr html 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 HistoryHistorically both the position and the ministry carried greater power 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 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 After 2008 holders of the position stopped serving concurrently as a CMC vice chair further weakening the position 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 Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu Scandals 2023 2024 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 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 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 Process of appointmentOfficially 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 FunctionsThe military is under the governance of the CMC putting the Ministry of National Defense out of the chain of command the minister is significantly less powerful than his counterparts from other countries and has no direct command function over the military The post is generally seen as a diplomatic and ceremonial role with the minister handling military to military ties with other countries However until the appointment of the current incumbent Admiral Dong Jun the office has always been held by a member of the CMC Though the minister has historically been assisted by vice ministers the ministry currently has no vice ministers List of officeholdersNo Portrait Minister Took office Left office Time in office Defence branch1Dehuai Peng Marshal Peng Dehuai 彭德怀 1898 1974 28 September 195417 September 19594 years 201 days PLA Ground Force 2Biao Lin Marshal Lin Biao 林彪 1907 1971 17 September 195913 September 197112 years 149 days PLA Ground Force Vacant 13 September 1971 17 January 1975 3Jianying Ye Marshal Ye Jianying 叶剑英 1897 1986 17 January 197526 February 19783 years 40 days PLA Ground Force 4Xiangqian Xu Marshal Xu Xiangqian 徐向前 1901 1990 26 February 19786 March 19812 years 345 days PLA Ground Force 5Biao Geng Geng Biao 耿飚 1909 2000 6 March 198119 November 19821 year 105 daysNone 6Aiping Zhang General Zhang Aiping 张爱萍 1910 2003 19 November 198212 April 19885 years 145 days PLA Ground Force 7Jiwei Qin General Qin Jiwei 秦基伟 1914 1997 12 April 198829 March 19934 years 351 days PLA Ground Force 8Haotian Chi General Chi Haotian 迟浩田 born 1929 29 March 199317 March 20039 years 353 days PLA Ground Force 9Gangchuan Cao General Cao Gangchuan 曹刚川 born 1935 17 March 200317 March 20085 years 0 days PLA Ground Force 10Guanglie Liang General Liang Guanglie 梁光烈 1940 2024 17 March 200816 March 20135 years 0 days PLA Ground Force 11Wanquan Chang General Chang Wanquan 常万全 born 1949 16 March 201319 March 20185 years 3 days PLA Ground Force 12Fenghe Wei General Wei Fenghe 魏凤和 born 1954 19 March 201812 March 20234 years 358 daysPLA Rocket Force 13Shangfu Li General Li Shangfu 李尚福 born 1958 12 March 202324 October 2023226 daysPLA Strategic Support Force Vacant 24 October 29 December 2023 14Jun Dong Admiral Dong Jun 董军 born 1961 29 December 2023Incumbent1 year 122 daysPLA NavyNotes 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 Formerly Chinese Red Army revoked in June 2024ReferencesZheng 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 People s Republic of China Defense Minister visits Singapore www mindef gov sg Retrieved 2024 06 30 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 Jiang Chenglong 2023 08 17 Minister China committed to safeguarding world peace China Daily Retrieved 2024 06 30 中华人民共和国国务院 gov cn in Chinese Retrieved 2024 06 30 China s Communist Party expels former defence ministers Li Shangfu Wei Fenghe for corruption Channel NewsAsia 2024 06 27 Retrieved 2024 06 27 China officially expels Li Shangfu as defense minister Nikkei Asia Retrieved 5 November 2023 The Shakeup in China s Rocket Force Continues thediplomat com Retrieved 2024 06 30 Constitution of the People s Republic of China National People s Congress Retrieved 2022 08 08 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 Torode Greg Tian Yew Lun 2023 09 18 China s military hierarchy under spotlight after defence minister disappears Reuters Retrieved 2023 09 18 The mystery surrounding China s missing defence minister The Economist 15 September 2023 ISSN 0013 0613 Retrieved 2023 09 18 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 China s Communist Party expels former defence ministers Li Shangfu Wei Fenghe for corruption Channel NewsAsia 2024 06 27 Retrieved 2024 06 27 Portals ChinaPolitics