China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has promoted a grandson of Mao Zedong to become its youngest serving general at 40 years old, state media said on Monday. Mao Xinyu was given his new rank as the PLA announced dozens of promotions in the run-up to Sunday's 83rd anniversary of the army's founding, the semi-official China News Service said.
The planned promotion of Mao, who reportedly works as a researcher at the Academy of Military Sciences of Beijing, had attracted criticism from online commentators who claimed it was linked to his family history rather than his achievements. But academy spokesman Bao Guojun defended the decision. "This is a natural elevation. Mao's many achievements earned him the right to be promoted," Bao told the Global Times newspaper.