Regulation on the Conscription Work (2023 Revision)

Regulation on the Conscription Work (2023 Revision)

Order of the State Council of the People's Republic of China and the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China

(No. 759)

The Regulation on the Conscription Work, as revised, is hereby issued and shall come into force on May 1, 2023.

Xi Jinping, Chairman of the Central Military Commission;

Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council

April 1, 2023

Regulation on the Conscription Work
(Issued by the State Council and the Central Military Commission on October 24, 1985, revised for the first time by the Decision of the State Council, the Central Military Commission on Amending the Regulation on the Conscription Work on September 5, 2001, revised for the second time by Order No. 759 of the State Council of the People's Republic of China and the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China on April 1, 2023)

Chapter I General Provisions

Article 1 This Regulation is formulated in accordance with the Military Service Law of the People's Republic of China for the purposes of regulating and strengthening the conscription work.

Article 2 The conscription work shall adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party of China, implement Xi Jinping's thought on strengthening the armed forces, implement the military strategy for the new era, serve the needs of national defense, focus on readiness for war and combat, and enlist high-quality service members in a lawful, precise, and efficient manner.

Article 3 Conscription is an important work to guarantee the replenishment of the armed forces and build and consolidate national defense and strong armed forces. This Regulation shall apply to the work of enlisting citizens to perform active service as needed for national defense.

People's governments and military authorities at all levels shall perform their duties of conscription in accordance with the law and complete the tasks of conscription.

A citizen shall perform military service in accordance with the law and consciously submit to conscription in accordance with this Regulation.

Article 4 The Ministry of National Defense shall be responsible for the national conscription work under the leadership of the State Council and the Central Military Commission, and the Conscription Office of the Ministry of National Defense shall undertake the specific work. The State Council and the Central Military Commission shall establish an inter-ministerial joint meeting on the national conscription work to coordinate the national conscription work.

The leading groups on conscription work at the county, city, and provincial levels shall be responsible for the overall coordination of the conscription work in their respective administrative regions. Local people's governments at or above the county level shall arrange for military service authorities, the departments of publicity, education, public security, human resources and social security, transportation, health, and other relevant departments to form conscription offices, which are responsible for organizing the implementation of the conscription work in their respective administrative regions and undertake the daily work of the leading groups on conscription work at the same level. The relevant departments shall be uniformly organized by the conscription offices of the people's governments at the corresponding level to effectively conduct the work related to conscription according to the division of responsibilities.

Government authorities, social groups, enterprises, public organizations, the people's governments of townships, ethnic townships, and towns, and subdistrict offices shall, according to the arrangements and requirements of the people's governments of the counties, autonomous counties, non-districted cities, and districts, manage the conscription work of their respective units and areas. The conscription work shall be conducted by the department of people's armed forces if an entity has such a department, or by a department designated by the entity if it has no such department. The body responsible for conscription work of a regular institution of higher learning shall assist military service authorities to handle the related conscription matters.

Article 5 The number of enlistees, the frequency and time of, and requirements for national annual conscriptions shall be provided for in the conscription order of the State Council and the Central Military Commission.

Local people's governments at or above the county level and military authorities at the same level shall scientifically assign conscription tasks in accordance with the conscription orders of their superiors, issue conscription orders, and arrange their conscription work in their respective administrative regions.

Local people's governments at or above the county level and military authorities at the same level shall establish a mechanism for coordinating the tasks for conscription and give priority to guaranteeing the conscription of graduates of regular institutions of higher learning and service members who comply with the special requirements for political or physical conditions or professional skills; may directly assign conscription tasks to the regular institutions of higher learning in their respective administrative regions; and may, as they see appropriate, adjust the conscription tasks for the regions that face a severe disaster or any other special situation.

Article 6 The military service authorities of local people's governments at or above the county level shall, in conjunction with relevant departments, strengthen the supervisory inspection of the conscription work within their respective administrative regions.

Local people's governments at or above the county level and the military authorities at the same level shall include the conscription work in the assessment and evaluation of the relevant entities and the persons in charge thereof.

Article 7 Relevant military and civilian departments shall incorporate the initiative for informatization of conscription into that for the informatization of national e-government and the armed forces and achieve the information sharing and business coordination between military service authorities on one side and publicity, development and reform , education, public security, human resources and social security, health, veteran affairs, and other military and civilian departments on the other side.

The departments related to conscription work and their staff members shall keep the personal information collected confidential in accordance with the law and shall not divulge or illegally provide it to any other person.

Article 8 Government authorities, social groups, enterprises, and public organizations shall provide in-depth education on patriotism, revolutionary heroism, the glorious history of the armed forces, and the glory of performing military service and enhance citizens' awareness of national defense and performing military services in accordance with the law.

The military service authorities of local people's governments at or above the county level shall, in conjunction with publicity departments, coordinate the arrangement for the departments of cybersecurity, education, cultural, and other departments to give conscription publicity and encourage citizens to proactively respond to the enlistment.

Article 9 Any organization or individual that has made outstanding contributions to the conscription work shall be commended and rewarded in accordance with the relevant provisions prescribed by the state and armed forces.

Chapter II Preparations for Conscription

Article 10 The conscription offices of local people's governments at or above the county level shall adjust and raise their staffing levels in a timely manner, provide conscription training, and as needed, conduct work in support of conscription by government procurement of services and other means in accordance with the relevant provisions prescribed by the state.

Article 11 The military service authorities of the people's governments of the counties, autonomous counties, non-districted cities, and districts shall issue announcements of military service registration in due course, arrange for government authorities, social groups, enterprises, public organizations, the people's governments of townships, ethnic townships, and towns, and sub-district offices to initially register for military service male citizens who have attained the age of 18 before December 31 of the current year in the entities and their respective administrative regions, and verify and update information on male citizens of registration age who have initially registered for military service.

The initial military service registration of a citizen comes within the purview of the military service authority of the people's government of the county, autonomous county, non-districted city, or district where his or her permanent residence is registered, and the citizen may register online or physically with a military service registration station (office). If the citizen is unable to register in person for physical issues or any other special reason, he or she may authorize his or her relative to register on his or her behalf, and the people's government of the township, ethnic township, or town where his or her permanent residence is registered or the sub-district office shall provide assistance.

Article 12 The military service authorities of the people's governments of the counties, autonomous counties, non-districted cities, and districts shall determine in accordance with the law that male citizens who have initially registered for military service shall perform military service, be exempt from military service, or may not perform military service; include an indication to that effect in citizen's military service registration information; and issue a certificate of military service registration. The relevant departments of the people's governments of the counties, autonomous counties, non-districted cities, and districts shall, in accordance with the division of responsibilities, assist the military service authorities to verify citizen's military service registration information.

As needed by the armed forces, female citizens may be enlisted in active service according to applicable provisions.

Article 13 “Citizen eligible for conscription” means a citizen required by law to perform military service who meets the following conscription conditions according to preliminary examination:

(1) Upholding the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, the leadership of the Communist Party of China, and the socialist system.

(2) Loving national defense and the armed forces, complying with discipline and law, and being of good political integrity and honor.

(3) Having attained the conscription age specified by law.

(4) Being in the physical and mental conditions and at an educational level necessary for performing the responsibilities of a position in the armed forces.

(5) Other conditions specified by law.

Article 14 The relevant laws shall apply to the deferment of conscription or non-conscription of citizens eligible for conscription, if any.

Article 15 A citizen eligible for conscription shall be enlisted at the place of permanent residence registration or may be enlisted at the place of habitual residence, if the place of habitual residence and the place of permanent residence registration are not in the same province, autonomous region, or municipality directly under the Central Government, and the prescribed conditions are met. A citizen eligible for conscription who is a full-time student or fresh graduate of a regular institution of higher learning may apply at the place of permanent residence registration before enrollment or in the place where the school is located.

Article 16 The departments of public security, health, education, and other departments of people's governments at or above the county level shall, in accordance with the division of responsibilities, conduct preliminary checks on the ideological and political conditions, health, and educational levels of the citizens eligible for conscription.

A citizen eligible for conscription shall, within the prescribed period, undergo a preliminary physical examination at any designated medical institution nationwide, according to the notice given by the department of people's armed forces of a township, ethnic township, town, or sub-district office (collectively, “grassroots department of people's armed forces”) or the body responsible for the conscription work of a regular institution of higher learning; the results of the preliminary physical examination shall be mutually recognized nationwide.

Article 17 The grassroots departments of people's armed forces and the bodies responsible for the conscription work of regular institutions of higher learning shall those citizens for the year and notify those citizens who're ideologically and politically reliable, in good health, and at a high educational level who have passed a preliminary check and preliminary physical examination.

The military service authorities of the people's governments of the counties, autonomous counties, non-districted cities, and districts; the grassroots departments of people's armed forces; and the bodies responsible for the conscription work of the regular institutions of higher learning shall strengthen the management, education, and assessment of citizens eligible for conscription and understand their basic information.

A citizen eligible for conscription shall keep in touch with the local grassroots department of people's armed forces or the body responsible for the conscription work of a local regular institution of higher learning and be enlisted on time in accordance with the notice given by the military service authority of the people's government of a county, autonomous county, non-districted city, or district.

The government authority, social group, enterprise, or public organization where the citizen eligible for conscription works shall urge the citizen to be enlisted on time and provide convenience.

Chapter III Physical Examination

Article 18 The conscription offices of local people's governments at or above the county level in the place of conscription shall uniformly organize, the health departments at the same level shall be responsible for the specific implementation of, and the relevant entities shall assist in, the physical examinations for conscription.

Article 19 The conscription office of a local people's government at or above the county level shall, in conjunction with the health department at the same level, designate a hospital or physical examination institution that meets the standards, conditions, and management requirements to form a physical examination station for conscription. If there is no hospital or physical examination institution that meets the standards, conditions, and management requirements in the administrative region, a suitable place may be selected to form a makeshift physical examination station for conscription, subject to the approval of the conscription office and the health department of the provincial people's government.

The specific measures for the formation of physical examination stations for conscription shall be formulated by the relevant departments of the Central Military Commission in conjunction with the relevant departments of the State Council.

Article 20 The grassroots departments of people's armed forces shall arrange for citizens eligible for conscription to receive a physical examination at a physical examination station on time. The number of citizens so arranged shall be determined by the conscription offices of the people's governments of the counties, autonomous counties, non-districted cities, and districts according to the tasks for conscription assigned by their superiors and the physical conditions of the local citizens eligible for conscription.

Before a physical examination, the conscription offices of the local people's governments at or above the county level shall organize an on-site check on the identity, permanent residence registration, educational level, professional skills, medical history, and other relevant information of the citizens coming for physical examination.

Article 21 Medical personnel in charge of physical examinations shall st......