BEIJING, Sept. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Huang Zongde
enlisted in the Chinese People's Liberation Army at the age of 17,
beginning a nearly four-decade-long military career where his
bravery, valor and devotion earned him countless awards and
honors.
The heavily decorated 93-year-old received the highest state
honor on Sunday when Chinese President Xi Jinping conferred him
with the Medal of the Republic at a ceremony in the Great Hall of
the People in Beijing.
China awarded national medals
and national honorary titles to 15 individuals, including Huang, in
recognition of their contribution and achievement as it celebrates
the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, which falls on
October 1.
Chinese heroes and role models
In addition to Huang, three others were awarded the Medal of the
Republic. Wang Yongzhi, a missile and rocket expert and a pioneer
of China's manned space program,
was honored posthumously. Wang Zhenyi, a medical scientist known
for breakthroughs in leukemia treatment, and Li Zhensheng, an
expert in wheat breeding, are also among the honorees.
The national honorary titles went to 10 people, including
scientists, a border patrolman, an artist, a craftsman, educators,
a health worker, an economist and an athlete.
Addressing Sunday's awarding ceremony, President Xi, also
general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee
and chairman of the Central Military Commission, called on the
Chinese people to learn from heroes and role models to form a
mighty force to build a strong China.
China is in a crucial period
for building a great modern socialist country in all respects and
achieving national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization, he
said.
Encouraging the Chinese people to strive for extraordinary
achievements at ordinary job posts, Xi urged them to contribute to
resolving challenges to development and reform and safeguarding
social harmony and stability.
China's old friends and good
friends
As its highest state honor for foreigners, China awarded the Friendship Medal to Dilma
Rousseff, president of the New Development Bank and former
Brazilian president, for her commitment to the friendship between
China and Brazil, and development of relationship
between China and the Community of
Latin American and Caribbean States, and cooperation among BRICS
countries, a group of major emerging economies.
Accepting the honor at the ceremony, Rousseff said the medal
symbolizes the strong bonds between Brazil and China and pledged to continue her unremitting
efforts to promote the friendship.
China's achievements over the
decades, including economic transformation, technological
innovation and remarkable social development, have made it a beacon
and a source of inspiration for the world, she said.
Xi lauded Rousseff as an outstanding representative of
China's old friends and good
friends who have shared the same aspirations and stood together
with the Chinese people over the past 75 years and vowed that
China will never forget such
international friends.
The Chinese people are ready to join hands with people from all
over the world to safeguard world peace, promote common development
and advance the building of a community with a shared future for
mankind to create a better future for humanity, he said.
https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-09-29/China-honors-individuals-with-highest-awards-ahead-of-National-Day-1xhS1SaZeZa/p.html
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