The Association was established on 16 June 1984 with the approval of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) under the leadership of Deng Xiaoping.

[1] The constitution of the Association describes it as a "non-governmental organization composed of alumni of the Huangpu Military Academy".

[2] The official purposes of the Association are to "carry forward the Whampoa spirit, connect classmates, promote the reunification of the motherland, and strive to revitalize China".

It officially acts as a bridge between students from the Whampoa Academy in Taiwan and mainland China.

[3] It has branches in every province-level division in mainland China except the Tibet Autonomous Region.