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General Cao Gangchuan
曹刚川
Cao in 2007
Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission
In office State Commission: 16 March 2003 – 14 March 2008 Party Commission: 15 November 2002 – 21 October 2007 Serving with Guo Boxiong, Hu Jintao, and Xu Caihou
Chairman	Jiang Zemin Hu Jintao
State Councilor of the People’s Republic of China
In office 17 March 2003 – 17 March 2008
Premier	Wen Jiabao
9th Minister of National Defence
In office 17 March 2003 – 17 March 2008
Premier	Wen Jiabao
Preceded by	Chi Haotian
Succeeded by	Liang Guanglie
Head of the People's Liberation Army General Armaments Department
In office April 1998 – November 2002
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Li Jinai
Personal details
Born	December 1935 (1935-12) (age 89) Wugang, Henan, China
Political party	Chinese Communist Party
Military service
Allegiance	Chinese Communist Party People's Republic of China
Branch/service	People's Liberation Army Ground Force
Years of service	1954–2008
Rank	General

Cao Gangchuan (simplified Chinese: 曹刚川; traditional Chinese: 曹剛川; pinyin: Cáo Gāngchuān; born December 1935) is a Chinese retired general who was the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission and Minister of National Defense. He was also state councilor and director of the PLA General Armament Department.

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Cao Gangchuan was born in December 1935 in Wugang, Henan Province. For two years from 1954 he was a student of Nanjing No. 3 Artillery Ordnance Technical School and No.1 Ordnance Technical School. Then in 1956, he became a teacher of the No. 1 Ordnance Technical School. In the same year he attended the PLA Dalian Russian-Language School, before spending six years from 1957 at the Military Engineering School of the Artillery Corps of the Soviet Union. On returning in China in 1963 he was Assistant of Ammunition Division of Ordnance Department of PLA General Logistics Department, until 1969, when he became Assistant of Munitions Division in the same department.^{[citation needed]}

He was promoted in 1975 to a staff officer and deputy director of General Planning Division of Military Equipment Department of PLA Headquarters of the General Staff. Then in 1982 he was made deputy director of Military Equipment Department. Steadily moving through the ranks of the PLA's hierarchy, in 1989 he was made director of Military Affairs Department of PLA Headquarters of the General Staff, then one year later, director of the Office of Military Trade of Central Military Commission. For four years from 1992 he was deputy chief of the general staff of PLA.^{[citation needed]}

He became a Minister for the first time in 1996 as Minister of Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense. Then in 1998 he gained control of the PLA General Armament Department. In 1998 he was made a member of the Central Military Commission and director and Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary of PLA General Armament Department. From 2002 to 2003 he was a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, vice chairman of the CCP Central Military Commission; director and secretary of Party committee of PLA General Armament Department.^{[citation needed]}

In March 2003, he was appointed as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China as well as state councilor.^{[citation needed]}

In March 2008, he was the director and secretary of CCP committee of PLA General Armament Department.^{[citation needed]}

He was a member of the 15th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, and was a member of the 16th Central Committee and member of the 16th Politburo.^{[citation needed]}

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