National Defense Education Law of the PRC — Full English Translation (2018 Amendment)

Adopted at the 21st Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People’s Congress on April 28, 2001

Amended in accordance with the Decision on Amending the National Defense Education Law of the People’s Republic of China adopted at the 5th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Thirteenth National People’s Congress on April 27, 2018

Effective: April 27, 2018

Table of Contents

Chapter I — General Provisions

Article 1 — This Law is enacted in accordance with the National Defense Law and the Education Law for the purposes of popularizing and strengthening national defense education, carrying forward the spirit of patriotism, promoting the building of national defense, and safeguarding national security.

Article 2 — National defense education is a social activity conducted to enable all citizens to enhance their awareness of national defense, acquire basic knowledge of national defense, learn necessary military skills, stimulate patriotic fervor, and consciously fulfill their national defense obligations.

Article 3 — National defense education shall be guided by the principles of participation by all people, long-term perseverance, and emphasis on practical results. The policy of combining education for all with education for key groups, and combining popularization education with education for key groups, shall be implemented.

Article 4 — National defense education shall implement the policy of combining education for all with education for key groups. The targets of national defense education shall be all citizens, with state organ functionaries, military personnel, the militia and reserve forces, and students at all levels and types of schools being the key targets.

Article 5 — All citizens of the People’s Republic of China shall have the right and the obligation to receive national defense education. The popularization and strengthening of national defense education is the common responsibility of the whole society. All state organs, armed forces, political parties, public organizations, enterprises, public institutions, and other social organizations shall organize and conduct national defense education.

Article 6 — The State Council shall exercise leadership over national defense education nationwide. The Central Military Commission shall, in coordination with the State Council, carry out national defense education for the entire people. Local people’s governments at various levels shall exercise leadership over national defense education within their respective administrative areas. The departments of education, publicity, organization, civil affairs, culture, human resources and social security, and other relevant departments of the local people’s governments at or above the county level shall, within the scope of their respective functions and duties, be responsible for the work of national defense education. The military organs shall, within their respective scope of duties, support and assist the relevant state organs in carrying out national defense education in society.

Article 7 — The state shall establish a national defense education coordination mechanism, which shall be responsible for studying and resolving major issues in national defense education work, and shall routinely organize, coordinate, guide, and inspect national defense education work nationwide.

Article 8 — Departments of education, civil affairs, culture, publicity, and other relevant departments of the people’s governments at or above the county level shall, under the unified arrangements of the state, perform their respective duties of national defense education, cooperate closely, and strengthen inspection and supervision of the progress of national defense education within their respective administrative areas.

Article 9 — Trade unions, Communist Youth League organizations, women’s federations, and other public organizations shall assist the people’s governments in carrying out national defense education. Enterprises and public institutions shall incorporate national defense education into their employee education plans, and, in light of the characteristics of their respective entities, carry out national defense education among their employees. Public organizations, enterprises, public institutions, and other social organizations shall, under the leadership of the people’s governments, carry out national defense education activities in accordance with the provisions of this Law and based on their respective characteristics.

Article 10 — The People’s Liberation Army and the People’s Armed Police Force shall, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Central Military Commission, carry out national defense education within their own units and assist local authorities in carrying out national defense education among the public.

Article 11 — The state shall support and promote the development of national defense education, ensure funding for national defense education, and bring it into the national economic and social development plan. The funds needed for national defense education shall be budgeted by the state and local people’s governments at various levels in accordance with the relevant provisions.

Article 12 — The state shall commend and reward organizations and individuals that have made outstanding contributions to national defense education.

Article 13 — National Defense Education Day shall be the third Saturday of September each year.

Chapter II — National Defense Education in Schools

Article 14 — National defense education in schools is the foundation of national defense education for the entire people and is an important component part of quality education. The administrative departments for education shall incorporate national defense education into their work plans, strengthen the organization, guidance, and supervision of national defense education in schools, and conduct regular assessment and evaluation of the schools’ national defense education work.

Article 15 — Primary schools and junior secondary schools shall incorporate national defense education content into their relevant curricula, integrate national defense education with various educational activities, and provide national defense education to young students. Senior secondary schools and schools at corresponding levels shall, in addition to incorporating national defense education content into their relevant curricula, offer national defense education lectures among students and organize military training for students.

Article 16 — Institutions of higher learning shall incorporate national defense education content into their teaching plans, offer national defense education courses, and organize military training for students. The national defense education courses offered by institutions of higher learning shall be included in the school’s teaching assessment system. The military training organized by institutions of higher learning for students shall be conducted in accordance with the relevant regulations jointly formulated by the administrative departments for education under the State Council and the relevant departments of the Central Military Commission.

Article 17 — Schools and corresponding institutions of all levels and types shall incorporate national defense education into their work and teaching plans and adopt effective measures to ensure the quality and effectiveness of national defense education.

Article 18 — Schools shall organize students to participate in national defense education activities such as visits to national defense education bases. The military organs shall assist schools in organizing military training for students and may select active-duty military personnel or reserve personnel to serve as military training instructors as prescribed.

Chapter III — National Defense Education in Society

Article 19 — State organs shall, in light of the nature and characteristics of their respective work, adopt various forms to provide national defense education to their functionaries. State organ functionaries shall possess basic knowledge of national defense. Leading cadres of state organs at various levels shall take the lead in receiving national defense education and shall play an exemplary role in national defense education. State organs responsible for training state functionaries shall incorporate national defense education into their training plans and set up appropriate courses on national defense education.

Article 20 — Enterprises and public institutions shall incorporate national defense education into their employee education plans, and, in light of the characteristics of their respective entities, carry out national defense education among their employees. The military units stationed in various localities and the military service organs shall assist and support such education. Enterprises and public institutions undertaking national defense research and production, national defense facility construction, or national defense transportation support tasks shall, in light of the characteristics of their tasks, formulate corresponding plans for national defense education and carry out national defense education targeted at their employees in accordance with the relevant provisions.

Article 21 — Residents’ committees and villagers’ committees shall, in light of the characteristics of their respective communities and villages, carry out national defense education among residents and villagers by means of various forms and channels that are popular among the people. They may engage military personnel stationed in the locality to assist in conducting national defense education.

Article 22 — Cultural, press, publishing, radio, film, television, and other relevant entities shall, in light of their respective circumstances and characteristics, adopt various forms to carry out national defense education. Radio stations, television stations, newspapers and periodicals, and other media shall strengthen the publicity of national defense education and popularize knowledge of national defense. Film, television, and cultural works with themes of national defense and military affairs shall be encouraged and supported.

Article 23 — The state encourages social organizations and individuals to organize and carry out national defense education activities that are healthy and beneficial. The state supports and encourages social organizations and individuals to donate assets for the cause of national defense education. Social organizations and individuals that make donations for national defense education shall be granted tax preferences in accordance with law.

Article 24 — The people’s governments of provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government shall, in accordance with the actual circumstances of their respective areas, establish national defense education bases. National defense education bases shall, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the state, be open to the public free of charge or at a discount.

Chapter IV — Support and Safeguard Measures

Article 25 — The state shall establish and improve the system of national defense education teachers. Teachers of national defense education shall be selected from among those who are enthusiastic about the cause of national defense education and possess the basic knowledge and necessary military skills for national defense education.

Article 26 — Military organs shall assist schools and other educational institutions in organizing military training for students and may, in accordance with the relevant regulations, dispatch active-duty military personnel, or assist in dispatching retired military personnel or reserve personnel, to serve as military training instructors. The People’s Liberation Army and the People’s Armed Police Force shall, where conditions permit, provide necessary support and assistance for organized national defense education activities, such as opening barracks and providing military training venues and relevant facilities to the public.

Article 27 — National defense education funds shall be listed in the government budgets of the corresponding levels. State organs, public institutions, and public organizations shall include the funds needed for national defense education in their respective unit budgets. Enterprises shall include the funds needed for national defense education in their employee education funds. Schools shall include the funds needed for national defense education in their school budgets.

Article 28 — Materials and teaching aids for national defense education, as well as the construction of national defense education bases, shall be planned and managed in a unified manner by the relevant departments. The state encourages the compilation of national defense education materials and reading materials that are applicable to different groups of people.

Chapter V — Legal Liability

Article 29 — Where a state organ, public organization, enterprise, public institution, or other social organization refuses to carry out national defense education activities in violation of the provisions of this Law and refuses to make corrections after being urged to do so by the relevant department, the department with supervisory authority shall impose administrative sanctions on the directly responsible person in charge and other directly responsible persons in accordance with law.

Article 30 — Where anyone, in violation of the provisions of this Law, misappropriates, embezzles, or seizes funds or materials designated for national defense education, the relevant department shall order rectification; if the case constitutes a crime, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with law.

Article 31 — Where anyone seizes or damages facilities or premises of national defense education bases, the relevant department shall order rectification and the offender shall bear civil liability in accordance with law; if the case constitutes a crime, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with law.

Article 32 — Where anyone seeks improper benefits or engages in other acts that impair the interests of national defense by taking advantage of national defense education, or disrupts the normal order of national defense education work, the relevant department shall order cessation of such acts, give a warning, and may concurrently impose a fine; if the case constitutes a violation of public security administration, public security administration penalties shall be imposed in accordance with law; if the case constitutes a crime, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with law.

Article 33 — Where a functionary of a state organ responsible for national defense education neglects his or her duties, abuses his or her power, or engages in malpractice for personal gain, the department with supervisory authority shall impose administrative sanctions in accordance with law; if the case constitutes a crime, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with law.

Chapter VI — Supplementary Provisions

Article 34 — This Law shall enter into force on the date of its promulgation.