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China practices a military service system
which combines conscripts with volunteers and a militia with a reserve
service. It is the glorious duty of the Chinese citizens to serve in the
armed forces and join militia organizations according to law.
Administration System for Military Service Work
China practices an administration system of unified leadership and graded
responsibility for military service work. Under the leadership of the
State Council and the CMC, the Ministry of National Defense assumes responsibility
for the military service work throughout the country. The military area
commands are responsible for the military service work in their respective
areas in accordance with the directions of the Ministry of National Defense.
The provincial commands (garrison commands), sub-commands (garrison commands)
and the people's armed forces departments of counties, autonomous counties,
cities and municipal districts concurrently act as the military service
organs of the people's governments at corresponding levels and are responsible
for the military service work in their respective areas under the leadership
of the military organs at higher levels and the people's governments at
corresponding levels. The government organs, public organizations, enterprises
and institutions and the people's governments of townships, ethnic townships
and towns accomplish their military service work in accordance with the
provisions of the Military Service Law. Professional work concerning military
service is handled by the people's armed forces departments, or by the
designated departments where there are no people's armed forces departments.
Active Service
Active service is the principal form in which Chinese citizens perform
their military service obligations. The citizens in active service in
the PLA are servicemen in active service, consisting of officers in active
service, civil cadres and soldiers in active service.
Officers in active service are the servicemen who hold posts at or above
the platoon level or junior specialized technical level, and are conferred
corresponding military ranks. They are classified as operational, political,
logistics, armaments and specialized technical officers. The Law of the
PRC on Officers in Active Service stipulates that the main sources of
officers in active service are: graduates of schools or academies in the
military, who are originally selected to study there from among outstanding
soldiers and graduates of regular secondary schools; graduates of regular
institutions of higher learning; civil cadres in the military; and specialized
technicians and other persons recruited from outside the military. In
war, soldiers, enlisted reserve officers, and persons in non-military
departments may be directly appointed as active officers as needed.
The PLA institutes a post-based military rank system for officers. Military
ranks for officers in active service are divided into 10 grades in three
categories: general, lieutenant general and major general; senior colonel,
colonel, lieutenant colonel and major; captain, first lieutenant and second
lieutenant. The posts at and below the level of the military area command
are: military area command, corps, division, regiment, battalion, company
and platoon. The highest military rank for specialized technical officers
is lieutenant general, and their professional levels are graded into senior,
intermediate and junior.
Soldiers in active service are composed of conscripts based on compulsory
military service (referred to as conscripts) and volunteers based on volunteer
military service (referred to as non-commissioned officers). Non-commissioned
officers are chosen from conscripts who have completed their terms of
active service, and may be recruited from citizens with professional skills
in non-military organizations. The term of service for conscripts in active
service is two years. A system of active service for different terms is
adopted for non-commissioned officers. The first two terms are three years
each, the third and fourth terms four years each, the fifth term five
years, and the sixth term nine years or longer. Non-commissioned officers
are divided into two categories: specialized-technical and non-specialized-technical.
The term of active service for the former ranges from the first to the
sixth, and the latter and women non-commissioned officers serve, in principle,
only the first term.
The lowest military rank for soldiers in active service is private, and
the highest is non-commissioned officer of the sixth grade. Conscripts
in their first year of service are of the rank of private, and rise to
the rank of private first class in their second year. The military ranks
for non-commissioned officers are divided into six grades in three categories.
The first two grades are junior non-commissioned officers, the third and
fourth grades are intermediate non-commissioned officers, and the fifth
and sixth grades are senior non-commissioned officers.
Reserve Service
Reserve service is divided into reserve service for officers and reserve
service for soldiers. Citizens registered for reserve service are reservists.
Reserve officers are chosen mainly from officers and civil cadres who
have been discharged from active service, soldiers who have been discharged
from active service, cadres of the people's armed forces departments and
the militia, graduates from non-military institutions of higher learning,
and other citizens who meet the qualifications of reserve officers. Reserve
officers who hold posts in reserve forces, or are pre-regimented to active
forces are reserve officers of Category One, and the other reserve officers
are in Category Two. Reserve officers are classified as operational, political,
logistics, armaments, and specialized technical officers and their posts
are classified as division, regiment, battalion, company and platoon levels,
and for specialized technical officers, as senior, intermediate and junior
levels. The military ranks for reserve officers are divided into eight
grades in three categories: reserve major general; reserve senior colonel,
colonel, lieutenant colonel and major; reserve captain, first lieutenant
and second lieutenant. Reserve soldiers range in age from 18 to 35. On
the basis of age and military qualities, they are classified into Category
One and Category Two.
Enlistment in Peacetime
The number of conscripts enlisted into active service in China every
year, and the requirements and time for their enlistment are prescribed
by order of the State Council and the CMC. The provinces, autonomous regions
and municipalities directly under the Central Government make arrangements
for enlistment in their respective areas in accordance with the enlistment
order of the State Council and the CMC. Enlistment in peacetime usually
takes place once a year.
The Military Service Law of the PRC stipulates that male citizens who
reach the age of 18 by December 31 each year are eligible for enlistment
for active service. Those who are not enlisted that year remain eligible
for enlistment until the age of 22. Female citizens may also be enlisted,
if necessary. Male citizens reaching the age of 18 before December 31
should register for military service before September 30 of the same year.
Citizens who meet the required conditions for active service are enlisted
into active service after gaining approval from the military service organs
of their own counties, autonomous counties, cities or municipal districts.
If a citizen qualified for enlistment is the only supporter of his or
her family or is a student in a full-time school, his or her enlistment
may be postponed. Citizens who are kept in custody for investigations,
legal proceedings or trials, or who are serving sentences or are under
criminal detention or surveillance may not be enlisted.
Discharge from Active Service and Resettlements
Active officers who have reached the maximum age limit for peacetime
active service should be discharged from active service. Those who have
not yet reached the maximum age limit or have not served the minimum term
limit for peacetime active service may be discharged from active service
in special circumstances after gaining approval. Soldiers who have completed
their term of active service should be discharged from active service.
The state makes proper arrangements for officers and civil cadres who
have been discharged from active service. The main modes of arrangement
are transference to civilian work, demobilization and retirement. Transference
to civilian work is the principal mode of arrangement for officers and
civil cadres discharged from active service. Administrative organs for
resettlement of officers and civil cadres who have been transferred to
civilian work or have retired, are set up at the national level and at
the level of the province (autonomous region or municipality directly
under the Central Government), and, if necessary, corresponding organs
may be set up at the level of the city (prefecture). The General Political
Department is responsible for the overall administration of the PLA resettlement
work for officers and civil cadres who have been transferred to civilian
work or have retired.
Since 2001, the Central Committee of the CPC, the State Council and the
CMC have promulgated and implemented the Provisional Measures for Resettlement
of Officers and Civil Cadres Transferred to Civilian Work and related
regulations and policies, providing for execution of the resettlement
mode to civilian work, whereby the state planned assignment of jobs and
posts is combined with finding jobs by oneself. Officers at the level
of division or regiment or at battalion-level with 18 years of military
service (including civil cadres at the corresponding levels and specialized
technical officers who enjoy corresponding status) can either be assigned
civilian jobs according to the unified plan or choose to find jobs by
themselves. Those at or below the battalion level with less than 18 years
of military service are assigned civilian work under the unified plan.
The Party committees and governments are responsible for arranging jobs
and posts for officers and civil cadres transferred to civilian work.
Those who choose to find jobs by themselves may seek assistance from the
government in their job-finding and are entitled to a monthly-paid service-discharge
pension for life long with exemption from income tax. Officers and civil
cadres transferred to civilian work may settle at their native places
or the places where they were enlisted, or settle at the places where
their spouses lived before moving to accompany the servicemen or where
they were married. When they meet the required conditions, they may also
settle at the places where their parents, their spouses' parents, their
spouses or their children are permanent residents, or at the places where
their troops are stationed.
When conscripts have been discharged from active service, the people's
government of the county where they were enlisted makes appropriate arrangements
for them, depending on whether they are from the countryside or city and
whether they have received any awards for meritorious service. Non-commissioned
officers are resettled and arranged as transference to civilian work,
demobilization, or retirement from active service according to their terms
of service.
Table 3: Maximum Age Limits for Active Officers Holding Posts in Peacetime
| Category |
Operational, Political, Logistics, Armaments
Officers |
Specialized Technical Officers |
| |
Combat Troops |
Non-combat Troops |
Junior-level 40 |
| Platoon |
30 |
30 |
| Company |
35 |
35 |
| Battalion |
40 |
40 |
| Regiment |
45 |
Chief 50 |
Deputy 45 |
| Division |
50 |
55 |
Intermediate-level 50 |
| Corps |
55 |
Chief 60 |
Deputy 58 |
| Military Area Command |
Chief 65 |
Senior-level 60 |
| Deputy 63 |
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