Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China

Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China

中国共产党中央军事委员会 Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Zhōngyāng Jūnshì Wěiyuánhuì
The emblem of the Communist Party of China
Agency overview
Formed	28 September 1954
Preceding agency	People's Revolutionary Military Committee of the Central People's Government
Jurisdiction	People's Liberation Army, People's Armed Police and People's Liberation Army militia
Headquarters	August 1st Building (ceremonial), Beijing
Agency executives	Xi Jinping, Chairman Air Force General Xu Qiliang General Zhang Youxia, Vice-Chairmen
Parent agency	CPC Central Committee

Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China

中华人民共和国中央军事委员会 Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó Zhōngyāng Jūnshì Wěiyuánhuì
National Emblem of the People's Republic of China
Agency overview
Formed	18 June 1983
Jurisdiction	People's Liberation Army, People's Armed Police and People's Liberation Army militia
Headquarters	August 1st Building (ceremonial), Beijing
Agency executives	Xi Jinping, Chairman Air Force General Xu Qiliang General Zhang Youxia, Vice-Chairmen
Parent agency	National People's Congress
Website	GOV.CN Ministry of National Defense

The Central Military Commission (CMC) refers to the parallel national defense organizations of the Communist Party of China and the People's Republic of China: the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, a Party organ under the CPC Central Committee, and the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China, a central state organ under the National People's Congress, being the military branch of the national government.

The command and control of the People's Liberation Army, People's Armed Police and People's Liberation Army militia is exercised in name by the State CMC, supervised by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. The State CMC is nominally considered the supreme military policy-making body and its chairman, elected by the National People's Congress, is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. In reality, command and control of the PLA, however, still resides with the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee—the Party CMC.

Both commissions are identical in membership, thus actually forming one identical institution under two different names (called 一个机构两块牌子, yígè jīgòu liǎngkuài páizi), in order to fit in both state government and party systems. Both commissions are currently chaired by Xi Jinping, who is the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China as well as Paramount leader. The 11-man commission issues directives relating to the PLA, including senior appointments, troop deployments and arms spending. Almost all the members are senior generals, but the most important posts have always been held by the party's most senior leaders to ensure absolute loyalty of the armed forces and to ensure the survival of the regime. CMC has control over 6.8 million personnel.