[3] As a country stricken by two of the world's ten most fatal earthquakes before the creation of CEA, China's first seismic monitoring stations were set up under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

A national Earthquake Affairs Office (地震办公室)was created under joint administration of the National Science and Technology Commission (国家科学技术委员会) and Chinese Academy of Sciences after the 1966 Xingtai earthquakes.

In 1971, the State Council decided to create the National Earthquake Bureau (CNEB), predecessor to CEA, to replace the "Central Task Force".

The State Council initially delegated administration of the CNEB to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Following the recommendation from the CNEB, each province, autonomous regions and centrally administrated municipalities in PRC has established its own earthquake bureau since 1977.