中共自1950年代起逐漸建立起規模龐大的國防工業體系。進入1960年代後，擔心美蘇兩國攻打中國，因而進行「三線建設」。隨著國際局勢轉趨和平，這些國防工業因軍品生產任務銳減而成為國家沈重的財政負擔，甚至窒礙整體經濟發展，因此，鄧小平在1978年復出掌權後，提出「國防工業要以民養軍，軍民結合」，此後中共國防工業就在「軍民結合、平戰結合、軍品優先、以民養軍」十六字方針發展，開始「軍轉民」的重要轉變，以配合經濟改革政策。

為加速國防工業的「軍轉民」，中共在政策指導、產業結構和經營方向等都做了很大幅度的調整與改革，這包括將在「三線建設」時期設於內陸、偏遠地區的軍工廠、所搬遷、合併或關閉，以及提供人員適應市場經濟制度的教育和訓練等。

中共實施「軍轉民」後，聲稱全國防工業已形成能生產五十大類、超過一萬五千多種民品，而生產民品總產值占國防工業總產值的75%以上，且產品積極推向國際市場。2000年後，中共加入世界貿易組織等國際組織，且持續經濟的「改革開放」。在此環境下，國防工業「軍轉民」仍然是重要發展戰略，且仍將以十六字方針進行國防工業改革。

本論文從中共國防工業「軍轉民」政策的形成為出發點，討論其政策的發展和轉變，並探討國防工業實施「軍轉民」後對國防現代化及經濟發展等方面的影響。

China built a large scale of defense industries in the 1950s. Entering the 1960s, China started the "third front" construction project, moving major defense industries to interior provinces, because Chairman Mao was worried that the US and USSR would attack China.

Deng Xiaoping started China's economic reform in 1978. In line with economic reform, he worked hard to create a peaceful external environment. On the other hand, he proposed those defense industries to undertake conversion so as to reduce the state's financial burden and boost economic development.

Deng Xiaoping proposed a 16-character guideline for the defense industry conversion. They are "combine the military and civil, combine peace and war, give priority to military products, and let the civil support the military."

For implementing the defense industry conversion, Chinese government offered various incentives and guidelines to reform industrial structure and industrial management. These included to close down and merge those non-efficient defense factories and institutes, to move factories and institutes to urban cities, and to provide training programs to those serving in defense industries.

China claimed that after implementing the conversion program, more than 50 categories and more than 15,000 civilian products have been established, and total output for those civilian products has accounted for at least 75%, or higher, of their total production. Meanwhile, many of the products have been exported to international market.

It is expected that after China has entered the World Trade Organization, defense industry conversion remains China's fundamental policy, and Deng Xiaoping's instruction of 16-character guideline will remain to guide defense industry reform.

This thesis aims at discussing the following questions: why there was policy shift in China's defense industry, what measures were taken to undertake the defense industry reform, how many stages of development could be identified in the whole process, what impacts, positive and negative, were there on economic development and defense modernization.