Zhang Wendan

Zhang Wendan (Chinese: 张文旦; born 1958) is a vice admiral of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy. He has been Chief of Staff of the PLA Navy since January 2018, and previously served as Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of the South Sea Fleet, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Southern Theater Command, and Commander of the North Sea Fleet (2017–2018). He commanded the PLA Navy's fifth Gulf of Aden anti-piracy task force in 2010.[1]

Zhang Wendan
张文旦
Zhang Wendan in 2013
Chief of Staff of the PLA Navy
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2018
Commander	Shen Jinlong
Preceded by	Qiu Yanpeng
Commander of the North Sea Fleet
In office January 2017 – January 2018
Preceded by	Yuan Yubai
Succeeded by	Li Yujie
Personal details
Born	1958 (age 62–63) Fuyang, Zhejiang, China
Political party	Communist Party of China
Military service
Allegiance	China
Branch/service	People's Liberation Army Navy
Years of service	? − present
Rank	Vice Admiral

Biography

Zhang was born in 1958 in Fuyang, Zhejiang Province.

He spent most of his career in the South Sea Fleet (SSF), where he served as director of its ship training center, and commander of the 26th Speedboat Detachment. He rose to the position of deputy chief of staff of the SSF by 2010 and attained the rank of rear admiral the same year.

From 4 March until 12 September 2010, Zhang commanded the PLA Navy's fifth Gulf of Aden anti-piracy task force to the seas near pirate-infested Somalia. The flotilla, consisting of the missile destroyer Guangzhou, the missile frigate Chaohu, and the replenishment ship Weishanhu,[2][3] sailed a record-breaking distance of 92,495 nautical miles over 192 days, and completed 41 missions escorting 588 Chinese and foreign ships. Before its return, the task force made official visits to Egypt, Italy, Greece, and Myanmar, and paid a port call in Singapore. The mission received substantial media coverage in China.[2] During the mission Zhang Wendan paid a visit to a Japanese warship after Japanese naval captain Minami Takanobu boarded the Chinese ship earlier. The two sides exchanged information on pirate activity, a rare occasion of military cooperation between the two countries.[4]

Zhang has enjoyed a rapid succession of promotions since March 2014, when he became chief of staff of the SSF. A year later he was appointed deputy commander of the SSF, and became deputy chief of staff of the Southern Theater Command by December 2016. Just a month later, he was transferred to the North Sea Fleet (NSF) to serve as its commander, succeeding Yuan Yubai, who had been promoted to commander of the Southern Theater Command. He served in the NSF for only a year, before being appointed Chief of Staff of the PLA Navy in January 2018, replacing vice-admiral Qiu Yanpeng. Zhang was promoted to the rank of vice-admiral in July 2018.[5]

References

1. "PLA chiefs from UN missions, South China Sea promoted". Retrieved 2018-02-05.
2. "新年伊始海军多位少将履新：一线能带兵打仗的优秀将领受重视". Nanfang Daily (in Chinese). 22 January 2018.
3. Adem, Seifudein (23 May 2016). China's Diplomacy in Eastern and Southern Africa. Routledge. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-317-16729-7.
4. Leonard, Emma; Ramsay, Gilbert (7 November 2013). Globalizing Somalia: Multilateral, International and Transnational Repercussions of Conflict. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 172. ISBN 978-1-78093-582-9.
5. "海军参谋长张文旦晋升海军中将，张少兵等14人晋升海军少将". The Paper. 2018-07-28. Retrieved 2018-10-21.