Galwan Valley border clash hero Qi Fabao honored for outstanding performance as CPPCC member

(Photo/CCTV)

Qi Fabao, a PLA regiment commander who sustained a head injury while fighting bravely in the Galwan Valley border skirmish with India on June 15, 2020, was honored among 33 individuals for their outstanding performance as Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) members.

The award ceremony for the 2024 Outstanding Performance Award for CPPCC Members was held in Beijing on Sunday afternoon. The CPPCC Chairperson's Council meeting decided to commend committee members with exceptional performance, granting the award to 33 individuals, according to the CPPCC Daily. A news account affiliated with the Beijing Daily noticed that Qi was among these individuals.

In 2020, Qi, then a regiment commander in a border defense unit, fought courageously and stood his ground, leading his troops in resolutely countering the violent actions of foreign forces. Qi was awarded by the Central Military Commission with the title of "Hero Regimental Commander for Defending the Border" and honored with the July 1 Medal in 2021 by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

In January 2023, Qi was invited as a special guest and became a CPPCC member following the announcement of the list of members of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC, according to the website of the CPPCC National Committee.

Video footage from the 2024 "two sessions" shows that the scar on Qi's head was clearly visible, according to CCTV Military, the military channel of China Central Television (CCTV).

In June 2020, the Indian military violated the previous consensus and trespassed the Line of Actual Control and built tents. Out of respect to previous agreements and rituals, Qi, regimental commander of the Chinese military, went to negotiate with a few soldiers. However, the Indian military showed no sincerity and had already deployed more soldiers in an attempt to force the Chinese soldiers to concede, CCTV reported in February 2021.

When facing more Indian soldiers appearing from nearby mountains, while reproaching the Indian military for destroying the agreement, Qi organized Chinese soldiers to move into combat formations and engage in any confrontation, according to the CCTV's report.

The Indian military then started to attack the Chinese soldiers by using steel tubes and cudgels and throwing stones. Qi was under heavy attack and sustained a serious head injury, the CCTV's report said.