Regulations on the Military Ranks of Officers of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army — Full English Translation (1994)

Adopted at the 2nd Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Seventh National People’s Congress on July 1, 1988; amended in accordance with the Decision on Amending the Regulations on the Military Ranks of Officers of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army adopted at the 7th Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Eighth National People’s Congress on May 12, 1994

Effective: July 1, 1988

Table of Contents

Chapter I — General Provisions

Article 1 — These Regulations are formulated in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China and the Military Service Law of the People’s Republic of China.

Article 2 — The system of officer military ranks is implemented in order to strengthen the revolutionization, modernization, and regularization of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, facilitate the command and administration of the army, and enhance the sense of responsibility and honor of officers.

Article 3 — Officer military ranks are titles and insignia that distinguish the grades of officers and indicate their identity, and are honors conferred by the State on officers.

Article 4 — Officer military ranks are divided, according to the nature of the officers’ service, into active-duty officer ranks and reserve officer ranks.

Article 5 — As between officers of higher and lower military ranks, the officer of higher rank shall be the superior. Where an officer of higher military rank is subordinate in position to an officer of lower military rank, the officer of higher position shall be the superior.

Article 6 — When active-duty officers are transferred to the reserve, the word “reserve” shall be prefixed to their military ranks. When active-duty officers retire from service, their military ranks shall be retained, and the word “retired” shall be prefixed to their military ranks.

Chapter II — Establishment of Active-Duty Officer Rank Levels

Article 7 — Officer military ranks are established in the following three grades and ten classes:

(1) General officers: General, Lieutenant General, and Major General;

(2) Field officers: Senior Colonel, Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, and Major;

(3) Junior officers: Captain, Lieutenant, and Second Lieutenant.

Article 8 — Officer military ranks are distinguished in accordance with the following provisions:

(1) Military, political, and logistics officers: General, Lieutenant General, Major General; Senior Colonel, Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, Major; Captain, Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant.

The words “navy” and “air force” are prefixed to the ranks of naval and air force officers, respectively.

(2) Professional and technical officers: Lieutenant General, Major General; Senior Colonel, Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, Major; Captain, Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant. The words “professional and technical” are prefixed to their ranks.

Chapter III — Officer Ranks by Position Grade for Active-Duty Officers

Article 9 — The People’s Liberation Army implements a system of officer ranks by position grade.

Article 10 — The Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China leads the armed forces of the whole country. The Central Military Commission implements the system of the chairman assuming overall responsibility. No military rank is conferred on the Chairman of the Central Military Commission.

The rank by position grade of the Vice-Chairmen of the Central Military Commission is General.

The rank by position grade of the members of the Central Military Commission is General.

Article 11 — Military, political, and logistics officers shall be subject to the following ranks by position grade:

Chief of the General Staff and Director of the General Political Department of the People’s Liberation Army: General;

principal positions at the grand military region level: General, Lieutenant General;

deputy positions at the grand military region level: Lieutenant General, Major General;

principal positions at the army level: Major General, Lieutenant General;

deputy positions at the army level: Major General, Senior Colonel;

principal positions at the division level: Senior Colonel, Major General;

deputy positions at the division level (principal positions at the brigade level): Colonel, Senior Colonel;

principal positions at the regiment level (deputy positions at the brigade level): Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel;

deputy positions at the regiment level: Lieutenant Colonel, Major;

principal positions at the battalion level: Major, Lieutenant Colonel;

deputy positions at the battalion level: Captain, Major;

principal positions at the company level: Captain, Lieutenant;

deputy positions at the company level: Lieutenant, Captain;

platoon-level positions: Second Lieutenant, Lieutenant.

Article 12 — Professional and technical officers shall be subject to the following ranks by position grade:

senior professional and technical positions: Lieutenant General to Major General;

intermediate professional and technical positions: Senior Colonel to Captain;

junior professional and technical positions: Lieutenant Colonel to Second Lieutenant.

Chapter IV — Initial Conferment of Active-Duty Officer Ranks

Article 13 — Officer military ranks shall be conferred in accordance with the ranks by position grade of officers.

Article 14 — The conferment of officer military ranks shall be based on the positions held by the officers, their moral character and ability, work achievements, contributions to the revolutionary cause, and service experience in the army.

Article 15 — Persons initially appointed to officer positions shall be conferred initial military ranks in accordance with the following provisions:

(1) Graduates of military secondary specialized schools shall be conferred the rank of Second Lieutenant; graduates with junior college degrees shall be conferred the rank of Second Lieutenant, and may be conferred the rank of Lieutenant in accordance with the relevant provisions of the General Political Department of the People’s Liberation Army; graduates with undergraduate degrees shall be conferred the rank of Lieutenant, and may be conferred the rank of Second Lieutenant in accordance with the relevant provisions of the General Political Department of the People’s Liberation Army; those who have obtained master’s degrees shall be conferred the rank of Captain, and may be conferred the rank of Lieutenant in accordance with the relevant provisions of the General Political Department of the People’s Liberation Army; graduates of graduate programs who have not obtained master’s degrees shall be conferred the rank of Lieutenant; those who have obtained doctoral degrees shall be conferred the rank of Major, and may be conferred the rank of Captain in accordance with the relevant provisions of the General Political Department of the People’s Liberation Army.

(2) Soldiers appointed to officer positions in wartime shall be conferred the corresponding ranks in accordance with the ranks by position grade of officers.

(3) Civilian cadres of the army and personnel of non-military departments appointed to officer positions shall be conferred the corresponding ranks in accordance with the ranks by position grade of officers.

Article 16 — The initial conferment of officer military ranks shall be approved in accordance with the following authority:

(1) the conferment of General, Lieutenant General, Major General, Senior Colonel, and Colonel shall be approved by the Chairman of the Central Military Commission;

(2) the conferment of Lieutenant Colonel and Major shall be approved by the principal leaders of the general headquarters, grand military regions, services and arms of the People’s Liberation Army, or of other units at the grand military region level;

(3) the conferment of Captain, Lieutenant, and Second Lieutenant shall be approved by the principal leaders of group armies or other units at the army level that have the authority to appoint and remove officer positions.

Chapter V — Promotion of Active-Duty Officer Ranks

Article 17 — Officer military ranks shall be promoted in accordance with the following time limits:

(1) the time limits for the promotion of officer military ranks in peacetime: for promotion from Second Lieutenant to Lieutenant, two years for those who have graduated from junior college or above and three years for others; four years each for promotion from Lieutenant to Captain, from Captain to Major, from Major to Lieutenant Colonel, from Lieutenant Colonel to Colonel, and from Colonel to Senior Colonel; promotion to the rank of Senior Colonel and above shall be by selection, based on the positions held by the officers, their moral character and ability, and their contributions to national defense construction;

(2) the time limits for the promotion of officer military ranks in wartime may be shortened, and the specific measures shall be prescribed by the Central Military Commission in accordance with wartime conditions.

The time spent by officers studying in academies shall be counted within the time limits for rank promotion.

Article 18 — Officer military ranks shall generally be promoted level by level in accordance with the prescribed time limits.

Article 19 — Where the time limit for rank promotion of an officer expires but the officer does not meet the conditions for promotion because of violation of military discipline in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Central Military Commission, the promotion shall be postponed or the officer shall retire from active service.

Article 20 — Where an officer is promoted to a higher position and his or her military rank is lower than the minimum rank of the rank by position grade of the new position, he or she shall be promoted ahead of schedule to the minimum rank of the rank by position grade of the new position.

Article 21 — Officers who have rendered outstanding meritorious service in combat or work may have their military ranks promoted ahead of schedule.

Article 22 — Officers who have been decided to be appointed as Vice-Chairmen or members of the Central Military Commission and promoted to the rank of General shall be conferred the rank of General by the Chairman of the Central Military Commission.

Article 23 — The promotion of officer military ranks other than those specified in Article 22 of these Regulations shall be approved in accordance with the authority for the appointment and removal of officer positions. However, the promotion of the following officer military ranks shall be approved in accordance with the following provisions:

(1) the promotion of officers at deputy division level (principal brigade level) to Senior Colonel, and the promotion of professional and technical officers to Senior Colonel, Major General, or Lieutenant General, shall be approved by the Chairman of the Central Military Commission;

(2) the promotion of professional and technical officers to Colonel shall be approved by the principal leaders of the general headquarters, grand military regions, services and arms of the People’s Liberation Army, or of other units at the grand military region level;

(3) the promotion of officers at deputy battalion level to Major, and the promotion of professional and technical officers to Major or Lieutenant Colonel, shall be approved by the principal leaders of group armies or other units at the army level that have the authority to appoint and remove officer positions.

Chapter VI — Demotion, Cancellation, and Deprivation of Active-Duty Officer Ranks

Article 24 — Where an officer is transferred to a lower position because he or she is not competent in the current position, and his or her military rank is higher than the maximum rank of the rank by position grade of the new position, the rank shall be adjusted to the maximum rank of the rank by position grade of the new position. The authority for the adjustment of the military rank shall be the same as the authority for the original military rank.

Article 25 — Where an officer violates military discipline, a sanction of rank demotion may be imposed in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Central Military Commission. The authority for rank demotion shall be the same as the authority for the initial conferment of that rank.

The demotion of officer military ranks shall not apply to Second Lieutenants.

Article 26 — Where an officer’s military rank is demoted, the time limit for his or her rank promotion shall be recalculated in accordance with the rank grade after demotion.

After receiving a sanction of rank demotion, where the officer has corrected the mistakes committed and has made remarkable achievements in combat or work, the time limit for his or her rank promotion may be shortened.

Article 27 — For persons who are removed from officer positions and whose status as officers is cancelled, their officer military ranks shall be cancelled. The authority for the cancellation of officer military ranks shall be the same as the authority for the initial conferment of that rank.

Where an officer is expelled from military service, his or her military rank shall be cancelled. The authority for the cancellation of the military rank shall be the same as the authority for the expulsion from military service.

Article 28 — Where an officer commits a crime and is sentenced in accordance with the law to deprivation of political rights or to fixed-term imprisonment of three years or more, his or her military rank shall be deprived by a court judgment.

Where a retired officer commits a crime, his or her military rank shall be deprived in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph.

Where an officer’s military rank is deprived because of a crime, and after serving the sentence he or she needs to serve in the army and be conferred an officer military rank, the matter shall be handled in accordance with the provisions of Article 16 of these Regulations.

Chapter VII — Insignia and Wearing of Active-Duty Officer Ranks

Article 29 — The styles of shoulder boards and insignia of officer military ranks and the methods for wearing them shall be promulgated by the Central Military Commission.

Article 30 — The shoulder boards and insignia worn by officers must correspond to their military ranks.

Chapter VIII — Supplementary Provisions

Article 31 — The system of reserve officer ranks shall be prescribed separately.

Article 32 — The system of soldier ranks shall be prescribed by the State Council and the Central Military Commission.

Article 33 — The Chinese People’s Armed Police Force shall implement a system of police ranks, and the specific measures shall be prescribed by the State Council and the Central Military Commission.

Article 34 — The General Staff Department and the General Political Department of the People’s Liberation Army shall formulate implementation measures in accordance with these Regulations and implement them after reporting to the Central Military Commission for approval.

Article 35 — These Regulations shall come into force on the date of promulgation.

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