(Adopted on July 1, 1988)

The Second Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Seventh National People's Congress has decided to approve the Central Military Commission's Regulations for Conferring on Retired Officers Honourary Medals of Meritorious Service in the Chinese People's Liberation Army, which shall be promulgated by the Central Military Commission for implementation.

Appendix

Regulations of the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China for Conferring on Retired Officers Honourary Medals of Meritorious Service in the Chinese People's Liberation Army

(Approved at the Second Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Seventh National People's Congress on July 1, 1988 and promulgated by the Order of the Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China on July 13, 1988)

In order to commend the historical merits of officers who joined the armed forces or joined in revolutionary work during the period of the Chinese people's revolutionary wars and encourage them to maintain and develop the revolutionary tradition, the Central Military Commission of the People's Republic of China has decided to confer on retired officers honourary medals of meritorious service in the Chinese People's Liberation Army (CPLA). For this purpose, the following provisions are formulated:

Article 1 The CPLA's honourary medals of meritorious service shall consist of three types: the CPLA Red Star Honourary Medal of Meritorious Service (classified into two grades), the CPLA Independence Honourary Medal of Meritorious Service, and the CPLA Victory Honourary Medal of Meritorious Service.

Article 2 The CPLA Red Star Honourary Medal of Meritorious Service, First Grade, shall be conferred on the following personnel:

(1) Retired officers who joined the armed forces or joined in revolutionary work not later than July 6, 1937, and on whom the rank of Major General or a higher rank was conferred not later than May 21, 1965; and

(2) Retired officers who joined the armed forces or joined in revolutionary work not later than July 6, 1937, and who held leading positions at or above the provincial or ministerial level not later than May 21, 1965.

Article 3 The CPLA Red Star Honourary Medal of Meritorious Service, Second Grade, shall be conferred on the following personnel:

(1) Retired officers who joined the armed forces or joined in revolutionary work not later than July 6, 1937, and on whom the rank of Senior Colonel or a lower rank was conferred not later than May 21, 1965, or on whom no military rank has been conferred;

(2) Retired officers who joined the armed forces or joined in revolutionary work not later than July 6, 1937, and on whom the rank of Major General or a higher rank was conferred, but who were punished by a demotion in position or rank or were removed from their positions on or after May 22, 1965; and

(3) Retired officers who joined the armed forces or joined in revolutionary work not later than July 6, 1937, and who held leading positions at or above the provincial or ministerial level not later than May 21, 1965, but who were punished by a demotion in position or rank or were removed from their positions on or after May 22, 1965.

Article 4 The CPLA Independence Honourary Medal of Meritorious Service shall be conferred on retired officers who joined the armed forces or joined in revolutionary work during the period from July 7, 1937 to September 2, 1945.

Article 5 The CPLA Victory Honourary Medal of Meritorious Service shall be conferred on retired officers who joined the armed forces or joined in revolutionary work during the period from September 3, 1945 to September 30, 1949.

Article 6 For retired officers who committed serious mistakes but for whom no conclusion has been drawn and no disposition has been made, a decision to confer or not to confer the honourary medals of meritorious service on them shall be made in accordance with these Regulations after a conclusion is drawn and a disposition made.

Article 7 No honourary medal of meritorious service shall be conferred on anyone who joined the armed forces or joined in revolutionary work not later than September 30, 1949, but is not treated as a retired officer because of his serious mistake.

Article 8 The conferment of the CPLA honourary medals of meritorious service on retired officers shall be conducted upon a decision made by the Central Military Commission and an order issued by the Chairman of the Central Military Commission.

Article 9 Personnel awarded with the CPLA honourary medals of meritorious service shall be given the following favoured treatment in the armed forces:

(1) In the light of actual conditions, they may be asked to attend important holiday rallies and military reviews, and some of them may be invited to the rostrum, visitors' stand or the reviewing stand;

(2) In the light of actual conditions, they may be invited to watch military manoeuvres of the armed forces stationed in their localities;

(3) In the light of actual conditions, those who have special knowledge or have made outstanding achievements in certain areas may be given priority in being invited to hold honourary positions;

(4) They shall be awarded with a fixed amount of honourary bonus.

Article 10 For a person awarded with a CPLA honourary medal of meritorious service who is sentenced for violation of the Criminal Law, whether he is to be deprived of the medal shall be decided by the Central Military Commission. A person deprived of his honourary medal of meritorious service shall no longer enjoy any of the various kinds of favoured treatment specified in Article 9 of these Regulations.

Article 11 It is forbidden to forge, falsely claim or sell the CPLA honourary medals of meritorious service and the certificates for such medals. The violators shall be punished. The honourary medals of meritorious service shall not be reissued once they are lost.

Article 12 The CPLA honourary medals of meritorious service shall be conferred, in accordance with the present Regulations, on officers who hold positions in such institutions as the Chinese Communist Party's Advisory Commissions, the Standing Committees of the People's Congresses and the Political Consultative Conferences at various levels but who no longer hold any position in the armed forces.

Article 13 The General Political Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army shall, in line with these Regulations, work out measures of implementation, which shall go into effect after being submitted to and approved by the Central Military Commission.

Article 14 These Regulations shall come into force on the date of promulgation.