Xi signs order awarding national medals, honorary titles to 15 individuals

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday signed a presidential order awarding national medals and national honorary titles to 15 individuals on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Four of the 15 individuals that were awarded the Medal of the Republic were Wang Yongzhi, a pioneer of China's manned space program, renowned medical scientist Wang Zhenyi, wheat breeding and agricultural strategy expert Li Zhensheng, and veteran war hero Huang Zongde.

Dilma Rousseff, president of the New Development Bank and former Brazilian president, was awarded the Friendship Medal.

Ten individuals were awarded national honorary titles. Among them was Bayika Kalidibek, a border guard of Tajik ethnicity in the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County, Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. His family has guarded the border for 70 years across three generations, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

His son, Laqini, continued the border duty but tragically sacrificed his life heroically while rescuing children trapped in an ice cave.

National honorary titles are given to individuals who have made significant contributions across various fields. Their outstanding achievements underscore the Party's and the country's remarkable progress since the founding of the People's Republic of China, analysts said.

The Friendship Medal is China's highest state honor for foreigners, reserved for those who have made outstanding contributions to China's modernization drive, promoting exchange and cooperation between China and the world, and safeguarding world peace, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

Rousseff is the first woman to have held the Brazilian presidency, and maintained close relations with China during her tenure. After being appointed president of the New Development Bank, Rousseff has been making significant contributions to fostering exchanges and cooperation between China, Brazil, and other BRICS countries, Jiang Shixue, a professor at the Center for Latin American Studies at Shanghai University, told the Global Times on Friday.

At this special moment - when China is about to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China - honoring the foreign friend not only signifies an honor but also highlights the relationship between China and Brazil and our commitment to the BRICS nations, said Jiang.