What did the declassified documents reveal?

This is a declassified Central Intelligence Agency record, a biographic sketch on General Chi Haotian, dated May 1993. The document appears in the United States intelligence collection on China and is notable for its detailed account of a senior People's Liberation Army officer who served as Minister of National Defense. The sketch was released to the public through The Black Vault archive, which posted the full text on its website. The declassification authority is the Central Intelligence Agency, and the material was made available without redaction beyond the internal formatting marks present in the original file. The document can be accessed at the Black Vault URL for the text file. The document reads as follows: “General Chi (pronounced chur) Haotian (6688/3185/3944), People's Liberation Army. POSITION: Minister, Ministry of National Defense and State Councilor since March 1993; member, People’s Republic of China Central Military Commission and the Communist Party of China Military Commission. Significance: Chi is a national‑level leader with four significant roles in formulating and implementing China’s military policies based on his membership in the Military Commission, Beijing’s top military policymaking body. As Defense Minister, Chi is normally the PLA’s primary representative in ceremonially hosting foreign military delegations visiting China. More significantly, the Defense Minister has traditionally represented China’s military in sessions of the Communist Party’s Foreign Affairs Leading Group, Beijing’s top foreign policymaking body. Politics: As Chief of the General Staff, Chi steered the military through a difficult period that included the Tiananmen crisis and subsequent political reindoctrination program. He has been a loyal supporter of Deng Xiaoping’s plan for modernizing and regularizing the PLA. Chi has extensive military experience as a political commissar and is especially curious about Americans, particularly how they think. Personal: The son of peasants, Chi was born twenty‑second of July, nineteen‑twenty‑nine. He reportedly is extremely bright. According to official news media, Chi took part in more than one hundred battles during the war years, probably the Chinese civil war and the Korean war, and was rated People’s Hero, third class, of East China. He does not speak English. According to the Chinese press, Chi has a plain, down‑to‑earth work style, and the men and officers under his command respect his approachability. Career: Chi began

Why was this case declassified?

This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. The originating source document is linked on this page so the citation chain is auditable.

Central Intelligence Agency Record, A Biographic Sketch

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This is a declassified Central Intelligence Agency record, a biographic sketch on General Chi Haotian, dated May 1993. The document appears in the United States intelligence collection on China and is notable for its detailed account of a senior People's Liberation Army officer who served as Minister of National Defense.

Date: AUG 1 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was Central Intelligence Agency Record, A Biographic Sketch about?: This is a declassified Central Intelligence Agency record, a biographic sketch on General Chi Haotian, dated May 1993. The document appears in the United States intelligence collection on China and is notable for its detailed account of a senior People's Liberation Army officer who served as Minister of National Defense.
Why was this case declassified?: This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. Storyflo narrates it directly from the public release.

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Central Intelligence Agency Record, A Biographic Sketch

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