The CPC's Absolute Leadership over the People's Armed Forces

Ensuring the Party's absolute leadership over the military means ensuring that the military always remains absolutely loyal to the Party, and is completely and unconditionally placed under the Party's leadership. The Party's leadership over the military is a fundamental characteristic of Chinese socialism. It represents one of the greatest strengths of the Party and the nation, and underpins an effort to build a strong military.  

The people's armed forces were created by the Party. Ever since its founding, it has been under the Party's leadership. The principle of the Party's leadership over the military originated from the Nanchang Uprising in 1927, developed during the Sanwan Reorganization of the same year, and was confirmed at the Gutian Meeting in 1929. 

It has been enriched over the long years and developed into an institutional framework which ensures that the command and control of the armed forces resides with the CPC Central Committee and the CMC - the latter is under the direction of its chairperson. It is implemented through Party committees, political commissars, and specialized political staff in the military. It requires the presence of Party organizations in each military unit at or above the company level to ensure the Party's leadership, which is exercised by Party committees through a collective decision-making process. 

At its 19th National Congress, the CPC reiterated the Party's absolute leadership over the military as fundamental for developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era. 

堅持黨對人民軍隊的絕對領導

堅持黨對人民軍隊的絕對領導，就是全軍對黨要絕對忠誠，軍隊必須完全地、無條件地置于中國共產黨的領導之下。堅持黨對人民軍隊的絕對領導是中國特色社會主義的本質特征，是黨和國家的重要政治優勢，是人民軍隊的建軍之本、強軍之魂。

中國共產黨締造和領導的人民軍隊，從初創時期就確立了黨指揮槍的原則。黨對人民軍隊的絕對領導的根本原則和制度，發端于南昌起義、奠基于三灣改編、定型于古田會議，經過長期發展日臻完善，形成了包括堅持軍隊最高領導權和指揮權屬于黨中央、中央軍委，中央軍委實行主席負責制，實行黨委制、政治委員制、政治機關制，實行黨委統一的集體領導下的首長分工負責制，實行支部建在連上等在內的一整套制度體系。中國共產黨第十九次全國代表大會把堅持黨對人民軍隊的絕對領導確定為新時代堅持和發展中國特色社會主義的基本方略。