Xi signs order to decorate military officers

Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), has signed an order to award the Order of Bayi (Aug. 1) to 10 military officers.

Approved by the CMC, the Order of Bayi is awarded to those who have made outstanding contributions to safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, and advancing the modernization of national defense and the armed forces.

Chinese President Xi Jinping [Photo: Xinhua]

The officers receiving the honor include Chinese astronaut Jing Haipeng, commander of the Shenzhou-11 spacecraft. Jing is praised in the order as a hero astronaut dedicated to serving the country while taking to space to pursue his dreams.

Wang Gang, head of a detachment of the armed police in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, was also awarded the Order of Bayi. He is honored as a hero in anti-terrorist work, willing to endure "fire and water" and charge forward with great courage, according to the order.

The order urged officers and soldiers of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), armed police and public security organs to learn from the decorated officers and firmly uphold the central authority and the core, as well as to unswervingly follow the command of the CPC Central Committee and the CMC.

Officers and soldiers should learn from the fighting spirit of the awarded officers, never fear difficulties or obstacles, stay keen on blazing new trails and innovation, and have the courage to shoulder the responsibility of strengthening the army, the order said.

The order also called on the armed forces to make greater efforts to realize the goal of building a stronger army and a world-class military under the new circumstances to embrace the opening of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China with outstanding accomplishments.

Aug. 1 is China's Army Day, and this year marks the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese armed forces.