Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China)

• Chairman (主席)
  (informal)
• Comrade (同志)
  (formal)

TypeCommander-in-chiefStatusNational leader level officialResidenceZhongnanhaiSeat"August 1st Building", BeijingNominatorParty Central Committee (party commission)
Presidium of the National People's Congress (state commission)AppointerParty Central Committee (party commission)
National People's Congress (state commission)Term lengthFive years, renewableInaugural holderZhang Guotao (party commission)
Mao Zedong (state commission)FormationDecember 1925; 98 years ago (1925-12) (party commission)
October 1949; 74 years ago (1949-10) (state commission)DeputyVice ChairmanWebsiteChairmanship

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 force
PLA Special Operations Forces Special Police Unit of the PAP 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
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The chairman of the Central Military Commission (Chinese: 中央军事委员会主席) is the head of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and the commander-in-chief of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the People's Armed Police (PAP) and the Militia. The officeholder is additionally vested with the command authority over China's nuclear arsenals.

There are technically two offices with the same name, including the chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) CMC and chairman of the People's Republic of China (PRC) CMC. However, under the arrangement of "one institution with two names", they function as one office.^[1] The officeholder is usually the CCP general secretary.

According to both the CCP constitution and the state constitution, the chairman assumes overall responsibility over the work of the CMC.^[2][3] The office confers military ranks, though regulations stipulate that no military rank shall be conferred on the chairman themselves.^[4]

Election

According to the Constitution, the state CMC chairman is responsible to the National People's Congress (NPC) and its Standing Committee.^[2] The state CMC chairman is officially nominated by the Presidium of the NPC during a session and approved by the delegations of the NPC,^[5] and its term of office is the same as the NPC.^[2] According to the Party constitution, the Party CMC chairman is officially elected by the CCP's Central Committee.^[3]

List of chairmen

Party

The following have held the position of chair of the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party:

No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Term of office
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
Head of the Military Department
1		Zhang Guotao (1897–1979)	December 1925	September 1926	9 months
Secretary of the Central Military Commission
2		Zhou Enlai (1898–1976)	September 1926	October 1928	2 years, 1 month
Head of the Military Department
3		Yang Yin (1892–1929)	October 1928	September 1929	11 months
(2)		Zhou Enlai (1898–1976)	September 1929	March 1930	6 months
Secretary of the Central Military Commission
4		Guan Xiangying (1902–1946)	March 1930	August 1930	5 months
(2)		Zhou Enlai (1898–1976)	August 1930	June 1931	10 months
Head of the Military Department
5		Li Fuchun (1900–1975)	June 1931	January 1932	7 months
Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Soviet Republic
6		Xiang Ying (c. 1895–1941)	January 1932	October 1932	9 months
7		Zhu De (1886–1976)	October 1932	December 1936	4 years, 2 months
8		Mao Zedong (1893–1976)	December 1936	1 October 1949	12 years, 10 months
Abolished 1 October 1949 – 8 September 1954
Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party
(8)		Mao Zedong (1893–1976)	8 September 1954	9 September 1976 †	22 years, 1 day
9		Hua Guofeng (1921–2008)	7 October 1976	28 June 1981	4 years, 264 days
10		Deng Xiaoping (1904–1997)	28 June 1981	9 November 1989	8 years, 134 days
11		Jiang Zemin (1926–2022)	9 November 1989	19 September 2004	14 years, 315 days
12		Hu Jintao (born 1942)	19 September 2004	15 November 2012	8 years, 57 days
13		Xi Jinping (born 1953)	15 November 2012	Incumbent	11 years, 170 days

State

The following have held the position of chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China:

No.	Portrait	Name (birth–death)	Term of office
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
Chairman of the People's Revolutionary Military Commission of the Central People's Government
1		Mao Zedong (1893–1976)	1 October 1949	27 September 1954	4 years, 361 days
Chairman of the People's Republic of China & Chairman of the National Defense Council
(1)		Mao Zedong (1893–1976)	27 September 1954	27 April 1959	4 years, 212 days
2		Liu Shaoqi (1898–1969)	27 April 1959	31 October 1968	9 years, 187 days
Vacant 31 October 1968 – 17 January 1975
Abolished 17 January 1975 – December 1982
Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China
3		Deng Xiaoping (1904–1997)	6 June 1983	19 March 1990	6 years, 284 days
4		Jiang Zemin (1926–2022)	19 March 1990	8 March 2005	14 years, 354 days
5		Hu Jintao (born 1942)	8 March 2005	14 March 2013	8 years, 6 days
6		Xi Jinping (born 1953)	14 March 2013	Incumbent	11 years, 50 days

See also

• List of leaders of the People's Republic of China
• Supreme Military Command of the People's Republic of China
• Paramount leader

References