Chen Bingde, male, Han nationality, is a native of Nantong, Jiangsu Province. He was born in 1941 and holds the equivalent of a an associate the degree from the Academy of Military Sciences. Chen joined the PLA in 1961 and the CPC in 1962.
He joined the Nanjing Military Region as chief of staff in 1985 and was promoted to major general in 1988.
A year after he received his lieutenant general stars in 1995, Chen became the commander-in-chief of the Nanjing Military Region in 1996. He was a member of the 16th CPC Central Committee and became a member of the CPC Central Military Commission and Director-General of the PLA General Armaments Department in 2004.
In 2007, he became chief of the PLA Headquarters of the General Staff, a member of the 17th CPC Central Committee and a member of the 17th CPC Central Military Commission.