China’s military honours go to PLA ship-borne pilot unit and telecoms expert
- President Xi Jinping’s latest merit citations indicate where the country’s defence priorities lie
Xi, who is also chairman of the Central Military Commission, signed an order of commendation on Tuesday to present the PLA Navy pilot unit, Troop 92950, with a first-class merit citation, according to state news agency Xinhua.
The order also included a third-class merit citation for defence science and technology, presented to Liu Aijun, former president of a military academy specialising in telecommunications under the Army Engineering University of the PLA.
The reasons for the awards have not been made public.
Zhang Min, the unit chief of staff for Troop 92950, was among this year’s recipients of the China Youth May Fourth Medal – one of the top honour for the under-40s in China.
He became an aircraft carrier pilot in 2015 and has taken part in missions aboard both the PLA Navy’s active carriers, the Liaoning and Shandong, according to WeChat posts by Zhang’s university alumni association and the PLA’s news and communication centre.
An order of commendation for military units and individuals is signed every year by the CMC chairman in recognition of their achievements.