Order of the Revolutionary Military Commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

(February 7, 1941)

The regulations on the military and political committees of the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army are hereby promulgated, and all levels are expected to comply with and implement them.

Revolutionary Military Commission of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

Regulations on Military and Political Committees

(1) The environment of guerrilla warfare and the dispersed operations of units require a certain degree of collective leadership and a certain degree of centralized command.

(2) For this purpose, military and political committees shall be established at the levels of army, division, brigade, regiment, column, detachment, military sub-district, and sub-area (formerly, military and political committees jointly formed by the military and local Party and government organs shall all be renamed military-political-Party committees to distinguish them), serving as the collective leadership organ at each level.

(3) Military and political committees at all levels shall be composed of key responsible personnel such as the commander, political commissar, director of the political department, and chief of staff. The number of members shall not exceed five to seven, with a list proposed by each level and decided upon by the higher level. The chairman of the military and political committee shall generally be the political commissar.

(4) The military and political committee is the planning organ for implementing instructions from higher levels, deciding on the major policies of the unit, arranging work, and reviewing work. All matters related to the unit’s military, political, Party, logistics, and other work may be discussed and decided upon. However, the military and political committee is not an executive organ; its decisions shall be handed over to the relevant departments for implementation. For example, decisions on military work shall be handed over to the headquarters for implementation, and decisions on political work shall be handed over to the political department for implementation. The military and political committee should only discuss relatively major issues; it is erroneous to submit all trivial and minor matters to the military and political committee.

(5) The military and political committee shall approve the promotion and transfer of cadres, but matters such as disciplinary actions against Party members and approval of Party membership shall still be decided by the Party affairs committee.

(6) Decisions of the military and political committee shall not be issued in the name of the military and political committee; instead, depending on the nature of the decision, they shall be issued as orders by the command organ or the political organ respectively. When lower levels report to higher levels, they shall also not use the name of the military and political committee; each department shall report separately to the higher level.

(7) When the military and political committee discusses issues and disputes arise that cannot be resolved, the matter shall be reported to the higher level for decision. On urgent matters, the commander and political commissar still have the authority to make independent decisions, but they shall report the various differing opinions to the higher level.

(8) Military and political committees at all levels shall convene at least once a month and at most twice a month, and shall not fail to convene meetings without reason.

(9) It should be explained to cadres that the establishment of military and political committees is to adapt to the dispersed environment of guerrilla warfare, so as to achieve the effectiveness of collective leadership and cadre unity. However, the military remains a centralized organization; orders from higher-level commanders, political commissars, and various departments shall be absolutely carried out by lower levels. Lower-level military and political committees have no authority to discuss the refusal to execute orders. Even departments at the same level shall carry out the orders of their chiefs. The erroneous tendency of a false democratic sentiment that everything must go through the military and political committee should be prevented and corrected. The establishment of military and political committees does not weaken the system of individual responsibility.

(10) The authority to interpret and amend these regulations rests with the Central Military Commission.

(11) These regulations are approved by the Secretariat of the Central Committee.