4 PLA officers promoted to highest military rank of general

Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission, promoted four senior People’s Liberation Army officers to the highest military rank of general on Monday.

Xi awarded promotion certificates to Liu Zhenli, commander of the PLA Ground Force; Ju Qiansheng, commander of the PLA Strategic Support Force; Wang Xiubin, commander of the PLA Southern Theater Command; and Xu Qiling, commander of the PLA Western Theater Command.

General Xu Qiliang, a vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, read Xi’s promotion orders at a ceremony at the commission’s headquarters in Beijing.

Xi congratulated the promoted officers, who had been lieutenant generals, and posed for a group picture with them.

Also on Monday, Xi conferred the honorary title “Counterterrorism Spearhead” and an honorary flag to a special warfare detachment of the People’s Armed Police Force’s Xinjiang Regional Command at another ceremony at the headquarters building.

Xi requested that all military units learn from the detachment’s meritorious service to strengthen their loyalty to the Party, to hone combat capability and skills, to become fully prepared for operations, and to promote fighting spirit.

Meanwhile, Xi also recently issued orders, in his capacity of the Chinese military’s commander-inchief, to confer the first-class service citation to a research body of the Central Military Commission’s Equipment Development Department, Unit 63691, as well as to Song Zhiguo, a pilot of Unit 94333. He also awarded the third-class service citation to three researchers from separate units.