Chen Bingde

In this Chinese name, the family name is Chen.

Chen Bingde (simplified Chinese: 陈炳德; traditional Chinese: 陳炳德; pinyin: Chén Bǐngdé; born July 1941) is a retired general (shangjiang) in the People's Liberation Army (PLA). He was the Director-General of the General Armaments Department until September 2007. In this position he acted as the head of the space program of China. He then served as chief of the PLA General Staff Department. He retired in 2012, and was succeeded by General Fang Fenghui as chief of General Staff.

Chen Bingde
陈炳德
Chen Bingde in 2011
Chief of the People's Liberation Army General Staff Department
In office September 2007 – October 2012
Preceded by	Liang Guanglie
Succeeded by	Fang Fenghui
Head of the People's Liberation Army General Armaments Department
In office September 2004 – September 2007
Preceded by	Li Jinai
Succeeded by	Chang Wanquan
Personal details
Born	July 1941 (age 83) Nantong, Jiangsu, China
Political party	Chinese Communist Party
Alma mater	PLA Military Academy
Military service
Allegiance	People's Republic of China
Branch/service	People's Liberation Army Ground Force
Years of service	1961–2012
Rank	General

Biography

Chen was born July 1941 in Nantong, Jiangsu. He joined the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1962 and has been a member of the CCP Central Military Commission since 2004. He was former chief of the Nanjing Military Region, a crucial region in Beijing's military strategy against Taiwan.

In 2004, he was promoted to the director of the General Armaments Department as well as the secretary of CCP's committee. In 2007 he was promoted to head of General Staff Department. He attained the rank of major general in September 1988, lieutenant general in July 1995, and general in 2002. He was a member of CCP's 15th, 16th and 17th central committees.

References

• China Vitae
• China's General Chen Bingde appointed to key military post (AFP via the Straits Times)