Published : 10/07/2025
On 10 July, 1949, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) decided to establish the People's Air Force.
During the revolutionary war years, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) did not have the basic conditions to establish an air force and could only rely on their bravery and fearlessness to confront enemy aircraft with ground weapons.
At that time, the central leader Mao Zedong (毛澤東) deeply felt the importance of air power in gaining strategic initiative.
On 8 January, 1949, the Central Committee of the CPC Politburo meeting passed the resolution "The Current Situation and the Tasks of the Party in 1949" drafted by Mao Zedong, proposing to strive to form a usable air force.
On 8 March, 1949, during the 2nd Plenary Session of the 7th Central Committee of the CPC, Mao Zedong specially met with the leaders of the Northeast Old Aviation School to learn about the situation of nurturing aviation technical talents.
Mao praised the Old Aviation School for training more than 500 aviation technical personnel under difficult conditions.
On 17 March of the same year, the Central Military Commission (CMC), China's top military decision-making and command body, decided to establish the Military Commission Aviation Bureau to lead China's aviation endeavours.
On 10 July, 1949, Mao Zedong sent a telegram to Zhou Enlai (周恩來), proposing to send 300 to 400 people to the Soviet Union to learn about the air force, and at the same time, to buy about 100 aircraft to form an attacking force together with the existing air force to cover the crossing of the sea and prepare to recover Taiwan in the summer of 1950.
Zhou Enlai immediately began all kinds of work to form the air force.
On 26 July, the CMC telegraphed the Fourth Field Army, ordering the headquarters of the 14th Corps and its directly affiliated units and the Military Commission Aviation Bureau to form an air force command agency.
On 31 July, when Mao Zedong met with Liu Yalou (劉亞樓), he pointed out that the role of the air force in modern warfare was becoming increasingly important, that the conditions for creating an air force were now met, and that efforts should be made to build the air force without losing the opportunity.
In September 1949, at the opening ceremony of the First Plenary Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Mao Zedong solemnly announced: "Not only will we have a powerful army, but we will also have a powerful air force and a powerful navy."
This was the strategic goal Mao Zedong set for the People's Air Force.
On 25 October, 1949, the Central Military Commission formally appointed Liu Yalou as the commander of the Air Force, and Xiao Hua (蕭華) as the political commissar of the Air Force.
On 11 November, 1949, the CMC announced the formal establishment of the PLA Air Force Command. This day became the founding day of the PLA Air Force.
After more than 70 years of construction, the People's Air Force of China has developed into a highly technological modernised branch, becoming the backbone force of the country in maintaining sovereignty, security and development interests, and playing a pivotal role in national security and military strategic layout.