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
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
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.
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