Editing People's Liberation Army (section)

=== Political leadership ===
The CCP maintains absolute control over the PLA.{{sfn|Pollpeter|Allen|2012|pp=84–85}} It requires the PLA to undergo political education, instilling [[Ideology of the Chinese Communist Party|CCP ideology]] in its members.<ref name=":2" /> Additionally, China maintains a [[political commissar]] system.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last1=Torode |first1=Greg |last2=Tian |first2=Yew Lun |date=2023-09-20 |title=Li Shangfu: Who is China's missing defence minister and how important is he? |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-military-hierarchy-under-spotlight-after-defence-minister-disappears-2023-09-18/ |access-date=2023-09-24 |archive-date=24 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230924210237/https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-military-hierarchy-under-spotlight-after-defence-minister-disappears-2023-09-18/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Regiment-level and higher units maintain CCP committees and political commissars ({{zh|c=政治委员 or 政委}}).<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=军事制度 |trans-title=Military System |url=http://www1.china.com.cn/ch-zhengzhi/zhengzhi7.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613170026/http://www1.china.com.cn/ch-zhengzhi/zhengzhi7.htm |archive-date=13 June 2007 |access-date=7 November 2023 |website=[[China Internet Information Center]]}}</ref> Additionally, battalion-level and company-level units respectively maintain political directors and political instructors.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last1=Allen |first1=Kenneth |last2=Chao |first2=Brian |last3=Kinsella |first3=Ryan |date=4 March 2013 |title=China's Military Political Commissar System in Comparative Perspective |url=https://www.jamestown.org/program/chinas-military-political-commissar-system-in-comparative-perspective |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021223644/https://www.jamestown.org/program/chinas-military-political-commissar-system-in-comparative-perspective/ |archive-date=21 October 2020 |access-date=7 November 2023 |website=[[Jamestown Foundation]]}}</ref> The political workers are officially equal to commanders in status.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=6 November 2023 |title=Xi Jinping is obsessed with political loyalty in the PLA |url=https://www.economist.com/special-report/2023/11/06/xi-jinping-is-obsessed-with-political-loyalty-in-the-pla |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107161451/https://www.economist.com/special-report/2023/11/06/xi-jinping-is-obsessed-with-political-loyalty-in-the-pla |archive-date=7 November 2023 |access-date=2023-11-07 |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |issn=0013-0613}}</ref> The political workers are officially responsible for the implementation of party committee decisions, instilling and maintaining party discipline, providing political education, and working with other components of the political work system.<ref name=":3" />

As a rule, the political worker serves as the party committee secretary while the commander serves as the deputy secretary.<ref name=":3" /> Key decisions in the PLA are generally made in the CCP committees throughout the military.<ref name=":2" /> Due to the CCP's absolute leadership, non-CCP [[List of political parties in China|political parties]], groups and organizations except the [[Communist Youth League of China]] are not allowed to establish organizations or have members in the PLA. Additionally, only the CCP is allowed to appoint the leading cadres at all levels of the PLA.<ref name=":1" />