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
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. After 2008, holders of the position stopped serving concurrently as a CMC vice chair, further weakening the position.
Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu Scandals, 2023–2024
Notably, under the third tenure of the CCP General Secretary 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.|officeholder=Wei Fenghe<br />魏凤和|officeholder_sort=Fenghe, Wei|officeholder_note=|born_year=1954|died_year=|term_start=19 March 2018|term_end=12 March 2023|timeinoffice=|defence_branch= PLA Rocket Force
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|colspan=7|Vacant <br /> 24 October – 29 December 2023
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