Ministry of National Defense (China)

Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China
中华人民共和国国防部
Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Guófángbù

August 1st Building
Agency overview
Formed28 September 1954; 70 years ago (1954-09-28)
TypeConstituent Department of the State Council (cabinet-level executive department)
JurisdictionGovernment of China
HeadquartersMinistry of National Defense Compound ("August 1st Building"), Fuxing Road, Beijing
Minister responsible
Parent agencyCentral Military Commission
Websiteeng.mod.gov.cn Edit this at Wikidata (in English)
Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China
Simplified Chinese中华人民共和国国防部
Traditional Chinese中華人民共和國國防部
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinZhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Guófángbù
Alternative Chinese name
Simplified Chinese国防部
Traditional Chinese國防部
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinGuófángbù

The Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China is the second-ranked constituent department under the State Council. It is headed by the Minister of National Defense.

Unlike in other countries, the Ministry of National Defense does not have operational command over the Chinese military including the People's Liberation Army (PLA), which is instead commanded by the Central Military Commission (CMC). The work of the Ministry and the Minister are primarily diplomatic in nature, generally functioning as the a liaison representing the CMC and PLA when dealing with foreign militaries.

Overview

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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 army including the People's Liberation Army (PLA), which is instead subordinate to the Central Military Commission (CMC). The MND serves as a liaison representing the CMC and PLA when dealing with foreign militaries in military exchange and cooperation. It has the primary responsibility for China's defense attachés and is the institutional point of contact for foreign defense attachés assigned to China.[1]: 220  It is additionally responsible for publishing news about military affairs.[2]

Structure

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The Ministry is headed by a Minister of National Defense; unlike in other countries, the minister does not have command authority over the army, generally exercising diplomatic functions.[3] However, until December 2023, the office has always been held by a member of the CMC.[4] With the removal of Li Shangfu in December, 2023, the MND has not had a seat on the CMC. While this may change, Dong Jun was not added to the CMC during the Third Plenum meeting in July 2024.

See also

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Shinn, David H.; Eisenman, Joshua (2023). China's Relations with Africa: a New Era of Strategic Engagement. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-21001-0.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ Torode, Greg; Tian, Yew Lun (2023-09-18). "China's military hierarchy under spotlight after defence minister disappears". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  4. ^ 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.

Sources

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