The 17th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party was elected by the 17th Congress on 21 October 2007, and sat until the 18th National Congress in 2012. The 17th CC is composed of full members and alternate members. It was followed by the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. A member has voting rights, while an alternate does not. If a full member is removed from the CC the vacancy is then filled by an alternate member at the next committee plenum — the alternate member who received the most confirmation votes in favour is highest on the order of precedence. To be elected to the Central Committee, a candidate must be a party member for at least five years.

Fan Changlong is a Chinese retired general in the People's Liberation Army (PLA). He was a Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and formerly served as commander of the Jinan Military Region.